


Side Quest

by smiley_anon, Zalein



Series: River Crossings [2]
Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Child Abuse, Cracked Played Serious, Doctor Luther, Enemies to Reluctant Accomplices to Dysfunctional Friends, Everyone plays an MMO for reasons, For a silly premise this fic runs on hurt and it runs on comfort, Friendship Slowburn, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Leader Kara, Pirate's Cove, Sequel, Wild West Elements, like seriously
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-30
Updated: 2019-02-02
Packaged: 2019-09-30 20:53:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 44,070
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17231033
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/smiley_anon/pseuds/smiley_anon, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zalein/pseuds/Zalein
Summary: After Oregon Trail’s servers shut down to purge Cyberlife’s influence, they came back up with a few new additions. One of them is a new boss fight in an isolated cabin deep in a forest. It’s not a very good addition, because he’s never there. He also looks just like the Deviant Hunter.Still… Alice really wants the treasure chest in the cabin.  She just wishes she didn’t have to deal with him.





	1. The Ashwood Forest

**Author's Note:**

> Me while starting to write: This should be short. This should be Short. ThiS Should be SHORT.  
> Me at the end: …….. It’s sHoRt.
> 
> Caution: We all played or watched the game, we know that Alice came from a fucked up home. Also, Sixty is a dramatic asshole with issues. I’m going to be exploring both of these subjects in some depth through the whole fic, and neither will combine smoothly. If these two characters combined will generate content that will hurt you, please protect yourself and don’t read it.
> 
> For new readers: This fic is the second part in a series. The fic that came before it is 100k+ words long, so for anyone who wants to skip right to reading this one, I’ll be including a summary at the bottom! Scroll down for spoilers.
> 
> Lastly: Shout out to my beta reader and cowriter, Smiley_Anon!

\---

 

“Oh n-no!” Alice hissed, recoiling from the animal’s carcass. She whirled around, every sense in high alert, to see if more bears would appear--but none did. Apparently they weren’t like wolves. She’d shot a wolf an hour ago, and the retaliation of its pack was enough that she never wanted to shoot one again. It was too awful.

 

Maybe she should’ve waited for someone else to help her go through the forest… Of course, if she had, how long would that have taken? Everyone who wanted to explore this kind of place was  _ busy _ , and half the time even they didn’t know when they’d be free. 

 

No, it was better to press on. Satisfied that she wasn’t about to be attacked, Alice turned as the small bear transformed into a pile of bottles and furs, all arranged around a clean bear skull. She put her rifle back into inventory, kneeling.

 

Then she froze, looking around again. The forest was quiet. She’d thought she heard--but maybe that’d been leaves under her own feet? She’d been moving. It made sense.

 

… It was too dark in this area. It was creepy. She exhaled unsteadily, turning back to the pile, but the instant she did the sound returned. This time she sprang to her feet, whirling around.

 

She came face to face with the open end of a revolver. “Hello,” said the man behind it. Like all NPCs, he had no LED, but he was wearing a face Alice recognized. She froze.  _ The Deviant Hunter.  _ Her knees felt like jelly, and her thirium pump jackknifed in her chest _.  _ She knew it wasn’t really him, it couldn’t be, but her processors were stuck on panicked overdrive: looping the rush of cars, a shape closing in across a roaring highway. He’d tried to…

 

The ‘Deviant Hunter’ smirked, jerking the gun to the side. “You should get out of my way. I’d hate to shoot you after all the effort you’ve put into getting this far.”

 

He didn’t look like he’d regret shooting her. She swallowed hard, then took a few big steps to the side, hands lifting slightly.

 

“Don’t try anything,” he told her. Then he raised the gun, holstering it as he helped himself to her rightfully earned spoils. She opened her mouth to protest. These kinds of bears  _ always _ killed her, and she almost hadn’t survived this time. Then she closed her mouth: she didn’t want the materials enough to be shot.

 

She should go, and come back with friends. She wasn’t ready for a fight, especially not with the only NPC she’d heard about in this forest. 

 

Alice was just considering making a run for it when he put the last bottle into one of his many coat pockets. Then he stood and turned around again. 

 

“As much as I appreciate your donation, I think it’s time for you to go.” And just like that, he drew his revolver again and shot her. She cried out, but there was no escaping it.

 

Over  _ three hours _ in this stupid, rotten place, all wasted. Alice opened her eyes on the edge of the forest alone.

 

\---

 

“Hey, kiddo! I like the new jacket.”

 

“N-North!” Alice dropped the carrot stalk she’d been pulling and hurried to her feet. North opened her arms as she grew close, and her hug was far too tight, but in a nice way. Alice smiled as she stepped back. “You’re here!”

 

“ _ Finally _ , right?” North laughed, ruffling her hair. “The last couple of days have just been…” Her expression darkened, and her eyes wandered past her and found Kara. Immediately the smile was back. "Kara! Good to see you.”

 

“How were your meetings?” Kara said, leaving the farmhouse’s side garden and brushing the dirt from her hands.

 

“Well, you know,” North said evasively. The smile was gone again, like a light. On and off. “More of the same. Our people are dying. Humans are too and they’re acting like it’s reason to kill us more. Fuckin--uh.” She winced. “Freaking pigs. So--how’s the new place?”

 

“It’s… ” It was cold, in the real world. They’d moved themselves to Pirate’s Cove as soon as deviants began flooding into Jericho. They had a fire going, and Luther did a good job feeding it it, but either Alice was too close to the fire and it was too hot, or she was far enough away that it was cold. Alice didn’t say this.“... We’re making it work, for now,” Kara finally replied, taking Alice’s hand. “It’s not exactly a place made for… comfortable living…”

 

“Oh,” North said. “But is it safe? Has anyone been bothering you?”

 

“No,” Kara said slowly. “Not yet. It’s abandoned, nobody disturbs it.”

 

“Great,” North said, setting her jaw grimly. “Then I have to ask: is there room for more? Because Jericho is too full, and we keep having to turn people away that are looking for shelter. I know you’re not close, but if we could at least give them a direction, it would mean a lot.”

 

Kara stood with her mouth open for several seconds. “I… suppose so,” She said quietly. She didn’t look like she was meaning to frown, but her lips turned down at the edges. “...The Jerrys would be happy with more company.” Her eyes flicked towards Alice, and she forced a smile, gently squeezing Alice’s hand. Alice squeezed too, smiling back. Kara was doing the right thing. They hadn’t liked how crowded Jericho got, but Pirate’s Cove was big. What’s more, people needed help, and it wasn’t fair for Alice’s family and their friends to have the whole place to themselves.

 

“Thank you,” North told them sincerely. “I’ll pass that on to Markus. Meanwhile, if there’s anything you need, let us know, alright? We’re stretched tight for supplies, but… if you call, we’ll do our best.”

 

Kara’s smile softened, more genuine. “Thank you, North.”

 

Warmth eased into North’s expression. After a second or two she looked away, producing her rifle from inventory and taking a step back. “Come on, Alice! You said you wanted me to show you cool tricks, right?”

 

Alice dropped Kara’s hand and materialized her own rifle, rushing forward. “Coming!”

 

The two of them started down a slope near the house. There was a slight overhang, and the dirt beneath was bare and soft. They shot at the slope for a while, North demonstrating quick ways to bring her rifle up and keep steady. Alice had okay aim, but it was hard to shoot quickly, and while playing by herself she had a problem with dying before she’d lined up her shots.

 

While they were taking a break, Alice told North about the new forest she’d visited, with its packs of enormous wolves and the occasional bear. She also told her about the NPC that robbed and shot her. North’s smile vanished at that part, and Alice felt a thrill of gratitude.

 

“What a total piece of shit,” North complained. Her LED--present in the game, despite being long gone in person--blinked an irritable yellow. “What the hell? The humans on the Red Rock trail don’t rob you. They just kill you, and then you shoot them for vengeance afterwards.”

 

Alice shrugged, nodding in agreement.

 

“Here’s the deal,” North said. She pressed her rifle’s end at the ground, leaning an elbow on it like a walking stick. “I’ll go with you the next time, and together we’ll get to that cabin you were aiming at. Meanwhile,  _ you _ practice hard so that the next time that asshole shows up, you shoot him in the dick.”

 

Alice beamed, nodding quickly. North picked up a stick and went to the earthy incline and started scraping out a rough approximation of a target. It was a man-sized silhouette, and when she was done she looked around. North found a short log near the end of the incline and hoisted it up, moving it between the shape’s legs.

 

“There, a target!” she declared. Alice took one look and clapped a hand over her mouth, giggling. “What?” North asked, eyes glinting wickedly. “First one to knock the log over wins.”

 

They shot at the log for a while. North was the one whose shot made the whole thing tilt, but another shot accidentally righted it again, so they were back at square one.

 

They were just running out of bullets when Kara arrived. “What are you two doing?” she asked, frowning faintly at the slope. Alice’s eyes widened, and she followed Kara’s gaze, hoping that the outline would be too hard to make out from her angle.

 

“Target practice!” North announced blithely. Kara narrowed her eyes, and North put her rifle away. “Keep practicing, Alice. It’s time for me to go.”

 

Alice jerked around to face her, Kara following suit more slowly. “O-okay…”

 

“Stay safe, North.”

 

North waved to Alice and inclined her head to Kara. “Sure thing.” Then as briskly as she’d appeared, she was gone.

 

Kara turned back to the slope. “... Alice. Is that a person with a…?”

 

....Suddenly Alice was aware that North had left her to deal with this alone. “... No?” Kara lifted an eyebrow at her. “... It was North’s idea.” 

 

Kara didn’t seem surprised (or impressed), and she walked over to the target, nudging the log until it was on its side at the target’s feet.

 

“Come on,” Kara said. “Let’s go back.”

 

Alice quickly put her rifle away, and then went to take Kara’s hand. Together they went back to the farm.

 

\---

 

Deviants began arriving the next morning. They were on foot: scattered groups of two to four. Individual Jerrys had been rushing around all morning, and by the time the newcomers reached the front ticket stands a few of them were eagerly ready to usher them in, opening up old offices the park’s human managers had once used. 

 

Alice helped clean out offices where she could, but the Jerrys were a whirlwind of activity. Soon she retreated to the calm of Kara’s orbit, clasping her hand and pressing close for warmth. Luther was helping her carry a tower of folded up banners that could be repurposed as blankets, and they both smiled down at her when she arrived.

 

They were looking for more ‘blankets’ when Kara received a transmission and stopped, staring into space. “... North?” 

 

Alice looked up, immediately interested. Unfortunately, Kara wasn’t smiling. “What channel?” Kara asked softly, eyes flickering to Luther, whose eyes half closed as he connected to the conversation.

 

They stayed silent for several long seconds, focused on nothing in the room. Alice tried to imagine what they could be watching, wondered if she should look up the news channel Todd sometimes watched before getting high. Alice shifted restlessly from foot to foot, deciding against it. Kara would tell her any second, now.

 

Eventually Kara shook her head a little, focus shifting from whatever they’d seen. “What should we do?” Luther turned to look at her, and Alice bit her tongue, wanting to ask to be let in. She couldn’t bring herself to try: this was an adult thing. She was pretty old, especially for an android, but…

 

“I understand,” Kara was saying. “I know. Don’t worry about us, North, we’ll be fine.”

 

_ Were _ they fine, though? Kara looked worried, and though Luther looked as calm and unmovable as he always did, he was still listening to whatever Kara was hearing.

 

“You too,” said Kara. A moment later she blinked, eyes returning to their surroundings. The call was over.

 

“What’s going on?” Alice asked softly.

 

Kara looked at Luther, then down at her. “... There’s been an official announcement,” she explained quietly. “With the current state of national emergency, any android caught away from their place of official employment will be detained and… recalled.”

 

Recalled. Dismantled. Killed, taken  _ back.  _ Alice wanted to hold on to the softer word, as though it could hide the truth from her if she let it. 

 

“There were a few other things,” Kara added, looking over Alice’s head at Luther. “But you won’t have to worry about those here. Just stay close to us, we’ll… we’ll wait this out.”

 

Luther’s eyebrow twitched, and Alice couldn’t tell if he was frowning. After a moment she nodded. “I’ll stay close,” she promised.

 

Deviants continued to arrive. They looked more frightened, now, glancing behind themselves as though they expected to be chased. Alice wandered a little, torn by the need to stay close, and also by the urge to look for hiding places, or ways out. She couldn’t find many by the heart of Pirate’s Cove where they were staying, and she couldn’t bring herself to wander further.

 

Alice took a break and texted North at around the time she would usually log on to their game, but North replied saying she wouldn’t be able to make it. Alice was disappointed, but not as surprised as she could have been. Of course North would be busy, now. Looking after people was much more important than helping Alice play a little game. It was what North and her friends  _ did _ , and it was part of why she was so cool.

 

Alice logged into Oregon Trail and went back to the slope by the farmhouse, practicing shooting alone. When she logged off, she saw Kara at the other end of the old restaurant they’d reclaimed, sorting through a pile of papers someone had brought. Alice hesitated, watching her-- then pillowed her head in her arms and closed her eyes, sinking back into the game.

 

\---

 

She went to the forest, leaving her gun in her inventory. She had a rough idea of where the cabin was supposed to be, and maybe there was another way to approach it. She found a river she knew would pass nearby and followed it, watching the water carefully. She also watched the trees.

It was only because she was paying so much attention that she noticed him first. The NPC was kneeling by the river’s edge, refilling his canteen, and Alice ducked out of sight behind an old ash tree, thirium pump pounding. She was in such a hurry that she kicked a rock into the water on her way, and she winced instinctively at the soft splash. Nothing came immediately, and she stilled, listening hard. Were those footsteps? Was that someone else’s breathing, or her own?

She strained her ears, but eventually gave in to the urge to very, very slowly peek out from behind the trunk. He wasn’t by the river anymore. Was this a good thing or not? She couldn’t see where he  _ had _ gone. Swallowing hard, she ducked back behind the tree again, turning away.

Then she jolted back, stifling a small shriek and pressing as far into the tree as she could. He was standing there in front of her, twirling his revolver idly in one hand.

“You’re terrible at hiding. Did you know that?” he asked conversationally. 

She hated dying, and even though he was just a program, he was  _ scary _ . It wasn’t all in his design, though the black coat, hat, and bandana were certainly ominous. It was in the way she knew his face, and in the way he used his features: eyes resting on her like needles, brandishing smiles like the wicked edge of a knife. He was  _ creepy _ , and she hated it. 

“You know,” the NPC continued pleasantly. “I remember another little girl that was terrible at hiding. She and her mother were cowering like mechanical rats in an old, abandoned dump. It was useless, of course… They couldn’t have picked a more obvious place.”

She couldn’t move. She couldn’t move at all, because...  somehow he knew. The game had read her memories, and he remembered, just like she did.

“... What’s the matter?” He said, studying her with interest. “Does this story sound familiar?” 

Alice didn’t answer. She wasn’t stupid, she knew this was just the game trying to scare her by pretending he was the actual Deviant Hunter, but--it hit home in ways most dumb NPC stories didn’t. This wasn’t a generic villain with a one-size-fit-all storyline. This was  _ her _ story, and she didn’t like it. Since when did NPCs do that?

He must have read her expression, because he huffed a little laugh. Now his smile was all teeth. “How does the rest go?” he mock-wondered. “... Oh, I remember. When I flushed them out, they  _ ran _ . I caught up in the middle of the highway. Do you know what would’ve happened if I’d caught them?”

Alice didn’t know for sure, but she had guesses. Sometimes she had nightmares. 

“The things Cyberlife does to captured deviants, you can’t even imagine…” His eyes had a nasty glint. 

“... Now, I’m not Cyberlife, but I’ve certainly learned a few things. If I catch you here again, maybe I won’t kill you. Maybe I’ll make you regret coming here enough that you’ll just never be the same.” He lowered his empty hand, pointing the one with the revolver towards her. “Do you understand?”

He probably would have shot her then, except for the movement in the river behind him. He swung around and aimed at the water instead, taking a few graceful steps to keep both Alice and his target within view.

… He was… he was distracted. Hands shaking badly enough that she wasn’t sure she could aim, Alice produced her rifle from inventory. The movement caught the NPC’s attention, and he drew a second revolver, pointing it at her without moving the first. “Don’t you  _ dare _ ,” he warned grimly. “I’ll--.”

She squeezed off a wild shot before he could finish. It didn’t hit him where she wanted, but it got his upper thigh. For most enemies, it wouldn’t have mattered; one shot was enough to take anyone down. Unfortunately for her, the latest round of updates had included higher level challenges. Instead of dying, this NPC cried out in apparent pain, one knee buckling as his gun came up--

\--before an  _ alligator  _ surged out from the water, clamping his other leg and dragging him under. He had time for one last shout before the water swallowed him up, and all that was left was thrashing, splashing, and bubbles.

...Alice  _ stared _ . Then, with trembling hands, she put her rifle away, following the river again and taking care to give it a little more distance.

The river ended where it met a large rock formation, water flowing under it and out of sight. Alice adjusted her heading, striking out at an angle. This eventually brought her to a large clearing, with a similarly large cabin. She went up its creaking front steps... and froze in the open doorway.

The cabin was occupied. “Who the hell are you?” Said one enormous android, pointing a rifle at her. There were three of them, each easily the biggest androids she’d ever seen. They looked like they might even be taller than Luther, a feat Alice hadn’t thought possible.

“Whoa,” said a different android. All three of them looked identical, with pale skin and black hair, but his shirt was lighter than the other two, and his undisguised fascination made him seem kinder. “Are you a YK model?”

“Obviously,” sneered the third, who’d lifted his rifle but hadn’t pointed it. “She’s a little girl, what else would she be?”

“I don’t know,” replied the nice-ish android. All players had an LED, and now his flickered yellow. “I was just checking. It’s not like you’ve ever seen one either, Ike.”

“Both of you, shut the fuck up,” the android still holding her at rifle-point said. He rolled his eyes before glaring at her. “You. Kid. Do you know how to trigger the battle, here?”

Three pairs of eyes turned to her expectantly, and Alice swallowed dryly, looking from one to the other. After a few seconds she jerked her head from side to side.

“I just got here…” she whispered.

“Fuck,” snapped the android with the rifle, lowering it and turning away. “Another fucking useless civilian…”

“Ease up, Molotov,” said the nice one, frowning. “We’re new too.”

“Yeah,” drawled Ike, leaning against a wall with his arms crossed. “But at least we’re not useless.”

“No,  _ we’re _ just standing around and letting other people do the searching,” said the nice one, grinning. 

“Oh,  _ fuck you _ , Bravo,” Ike muttered pushing away from the wall toward a shelf and pulling a crate from it. He emptied its bottles out onto the floor, then tossed it to one side. The bottles vanished into his inventory, and he moved on.

For the first time Alice looked around. What she’d at first thought were signs of an abandoned, neglected shack were actually the results of a destructive search. Bookshelves had been emptied and pushed over. The cot was lying on its side, blankets half buried under the remains of a clay pot. The fireplace had probably once had a fire, but ashes and chunks of half-scorched wood had been pulled out and dumped on the floor beside it, where they’d been tracked across the rest of the single large room.

Sitting almost untouched by the chaos was a weathered wooden chest by the window. There was one rusty lock, as well as soot-marks where someone with dirty hands had tried to open it.

“This place is a waste of time,” Molotov complained. “We should cut our losses, get the fuck out of here, and kill something.”

Ike grunted agreement, dropping another crate and ignoring the materials it spilled. “Let’s go.”

Bravo turned to her, smiling earnestly. “It was very nice to meet you, little girl.”

“Y-you t-too,” she stuttered. Molotov started towards her, and she jumped back onto the porch and out of the way. All three androids filed out, and when Bravo stepped onto the trail after his friends, Alice called out, “W-wait!”

They stopped, and Alice swallowed, a little surprised by her own daring. “I… I don’t know how to activate the fight, but… I--I think I found the boss over that way, once. And then by the river.” She pointed, then dropped her hand self-consciously. “... I didn’t get anything from it, s-so it, um, still probably wasn’t right, but…”

The three of them exchanged looks before Bravo looked back at her, beaming. “Thanks! That’s almost useful. I mean--it’s a little useful?” He glanced at his friends as though looking for advice, but found no support.

That’d stung a little, but he didn’t look like he was trying to be mean. “... Y-you’re welc--”

A gunshot interrupted her, catching Bravo in the side of the head. Alice gasped, and the other two drew their rifles. They were executed before they could finish turning. The boss they’d just been talking about strode out of the trees, ignoring the bodies and walking up to her. No--past her, to the edge of the cabin, where the destruction they’d left was in plain view. He stood there a moment: shoulders stiffening, grip on the revolver tightening until it creaked.

Then he rounded on her, and she quailed. He wasn’t as tall as the androids he’d just killed, but he radiated hate like a physical smog, and Alice found himself shaking uncontrollably as he brought the revolver up. His bandana was up, covering his mouth and nose, and all she could see was a pair of burning eyes.

She opened her mouth to apologize, but she didn’t know what for. She was fighting the urge to cry when he shot her point blank.

\---

Alice didn’t want to play after that. She opened her eyes instead, pretending to wake up from a nightmare. Kara gave her a big hug, which she leaned into, soaking in the comfort like a sponge. It would have been even better with Luther around, but he was nowhere in sight. 

It was late enough by then that Kara put Alice to bed. As she did, Alice asked after Luther. Kara didn’t pause, but her smile... faltered. Then she brushed back Alice’s hair, saying, “Jerry needed help moving something heavy. That’s all.” Alice hesitated only a moment before nodding, rolling over, and going into stasis.

The next day when Alice logged on, she went back to the forest. Giant wolves ate her the first time, and when she came back she tripped and had to use some of her precious spare biocomponents to fix her broken leg. Then she got eaten by wolves again, and then…

Eventually she got to the cabin. It had been cleaned up since the day before, but not reset altogether. The floor still had grey and black smears where soot had been ground in, and though everything was back in its place, the shelves and boxes were mostly empty.

There was no one around, and after a skittish look she left the place untouched.

Once outside she was attacked by a bear, and when she came back she decided to follow the river away from the forest for a break. She wasn’t expecting to find the NPC she’d been searching for an hour later, stretched out on a sandy part of the bank. His clothes were wet and his skin and hair pulsed a splotchy, mottled red. His eyes were closed. When she reached speaking distance, he produced a revolver without looking, cocking it towards the sky.

“Turn around now and go back the way you came.”

She stopped. 

When she didn’t leave he aimed the revolver at her, tilting his head and cracking one eye open. His mouth twisted like he was tasting something sour.

“... What are  _ you  _ doing here?”

The sun was shining, the fields around the river were green, and the opening of the revolver’s barrel looked like it was watching her. “... I… I…” He turned his head so he could watch her with both eyes, which made him somehow look even more unimpressed. She cringed. “... I… I j-just wanted to say… s-sorry for yesterday…”

Whatever he’d expected, this obviously wasn’t it. The sneer flattened to something nonplussed. “What.”

“I-I…” She pressed her hands over her coverall pockets, looking down, then at the river. “... I didn’t mean for the crocodile to get you. Then, those androids… th-they, they broke your stuff, and. I thought it’d be fixed now, but it w-wasn’t, and… and I’m s-sorry…”

He didn’t say anything in reply. She’d sort of expected him to shoot her or give a weird, ominous response, staying in character with the badguy he was, but he didn’t do either of those. He was acting strange in general. She hadn’t thought NPCs could get sick in a game they were supposed to help run.

After a few more seconds of staring she picked at a loose thread in her sleeve, glancing at his skin. 

“... Y-you have measles,” she told him softly.

He groaned, breaking his heavy stare to roll his eyes to the sky. “Thank you for pointing out the  _ obvious _ . Where would I be without someone to tell me I’m dying from an obsolete human  _ children’s  _ disease that I should be physically incapable of contracting in the first place?”

She looked down quickly, cheeks flushing, and for a moment she kind of wished someone would shoot him. She wasn’t trying to be stupid, even if she was anyway. This was why talking was so hard. She knew everything she said was pointless, and that someone would probably shout at her over it sooner or later. It didn’t matter that she was just trying to help. She should have just shut her damn trap and stayed quiet.

She opened her mouth and closed it, trying to get to the point she’d had before he replied. She couldn’t bring herself to talk, and after a while she just drew a little jar from her inventory, tossing it towards him. It scattered sand across him when it landed, and she winced at the accident. She wanted to hide and run away now that she’d said her stupid thing to an NPC that didn’t even care.

The NPC frowned at the jar. He freed up his closer hand by putting the revolver away, then picked the jar up, reading its side as though unable to believe what he’d probably recognized at first sight.

“... This is a measles cure.”

Alice nodded.

“Why are you giving this to me?”

Alice looked at her shoes, then shrugged. When it didn’t seem as though he was going to thank her (or move at all), she turned, walking away.

He didn’t call after her, or shoot her, or do anything she would’ve expected from a villain NPC. She did hear the faint rustle of someone sitting up, and then unscrewing the little jar’s lid.

She went back to the farm, where she tended to a field for the rest of the afternoon.

\---

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oregon Trail highlights:
> 
> -Kara, Alice, and Luther arrived at Jericho early, and never planned to go to Canada.  
> -This world has an android-only MMO version of Oregon Trail. It’s an immersive VR simulation that Alice, Kara, and Luther have been using for the farming mini-game.  
> -Connor’s deviation resulted in a confrontation between him and Connor-60, wherein Connor stole his body. Sixty was trapped in the Oregon Trail game the same way Amanda traps Connor in the Zen Garden in canon.  
> -While escaping Cyberlife, Connor basically deviated every android in the country.  
> -Cyberlife infected Oregon Trail with a virus. In the end, the game producers shut everything down to purge Cyberlife’s effects. This happened while Sixty was inside. Connor has no idea what happened to Sixty, and everyone assumes he was deleted somewhere along the way.


	2. Deals

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Heads up for update schedules: I'm currently expecting to settle into updating once every three days!

\---

 

Luther was back the next morning. But while Alice was getting up, he half-closed his eyes, distant and focused on something outside of the room. He helped put the restaurant’s little fire out, then excused himself.

 

“Where’s he going?” Alice asked.

 

Kara shook her head before smiling. It looked forced, and a little distant. “... The androids from last night. He’s... helping them again.”

 

“Jerry?” Alice asked. Kara looked at her, drawn from her thoughts, and Alice clarified. “You said Jerry needed help lifting something…”

 

“... Yes,” Kara said. “He’s--he’s helping Jerry.”

 

They left the restaurant and were halfway to one of the park’s storeroom buildings when Kara stopped, eyes sliding out of focus. Whatever the message was, she looked conflicted, turning quickly back to Alice. 

 

“Hey… Can you go back to the restaurant and play quietly, for me? Luther needs--a second pair of hands.”

 

Alice’s forehead wrinkled. “Can I help?”

 

“ _ No _ ,” Kara said. “Ah--no. It’s--complicated. Someone’s hurt, and… Play Oregon Trail? I’ll be back soon.” She turned and hurried away. Just before she turned the corner she broke into a run, and Alice chewed on her lower lip, watching her disappear.

 

They weren’t telling her everything. They probably thought she was too young, or that she couldn’t help.  It was… probably true. She was pretty small, and she was a kid. But she wasn’t  _ useless _ . Was she?

 

Alice turned around and went back to the not-quite-freezing restaurant, bunching up the pile of blankets she’d been using as a bed. She propped it up against a wall and curled up with her knees by her chin, closing her eyes.

 

\---

 

Alice looked at the empty farm for a few long seconds.Then she headed back to the forest.

 

She didn’t know what she was doing. She didn’t want to fight the boss, anymore, he was too--too strange. Still, maybe there was another way she could unlock the prize players got for defeating him? She was pretty sure it was the chest she’d seen in his cabin, and rumor had it that the item expanded inventory. She could use that, even on the farm.

 

She was eaten by a lone wolf after a few minutes.Then a large tree branch fell on her head, killing her again. She was preparing to set out a third time when a voice stopped her in her tracks.

 

“Are you getting something from this, or do you just enjoy dying?”

 

Alice gasped and spun around. Sure enough, there he was. He was twirling one of his revolvers again, and she took a step back, cringing. His bandana wasn’t pulled up over his face, and he wasn’t  _ doing _ anything menacing, but--even just standing there, he was intimidating.

 

He grimaced at her expression. “Don’t be  _ scared _ . I haven’t touched you.” Like he needed to get close to hurt her, with those guns of his. He followed her gaze, then rolled his eyes, reluctantly putting the revolver away. “Stop it. I have a proposition for you: take me to the Great Plains’ modifier download point, and I’ll pay you for it.”

 

This was… not the kind of quest she was expecting from this boss. “... What?” Alice managed.

 

“You’re not deaf,” he sneered. “Do you agree?”

 

… It reminded her a little of some of the early missions she’d found that taught her how to play the game in the first place, where they would ask her to do something simple and then reward her for it. Still, it was out of place; anyone who got this far  _ obviously _ already knew what they were doing. More than that, though…

 

“...  _ Can _ I take you somewhere?” She asked doubtfully. “You’re an NPC.”

 

His jaw tightened, and he gave her a smile that was all edge. “We’ll find out when we try, won’t we?”

 

… This was  _ seriously _ weird. And yet, she couldn’t see any way this could be dangerous to  _ her. _ At least, not more than being near him was already.

 

“... Why would you want this?” Alice asked slowly.

 

“Don’t ask questions,” the NPC snapped. “This is a yes or a no answer. What is your response?”

 

She frowned at him, thinking it over.

 

“... Are you going to try to kill me?” she asked.

 

“No,” he said impatiently. “Not until this is over. You do this, I pay you. We part ways, and I won’t kill you unless you attack me first.”

 

… It seemed… reasonable. After a few more seconds she nodded. “How do I…?”

 

“Go to the nearest warp point you have active. I’ll request a meeting and join you.”

 

She hadn’t known NPCs were capable of doing that. Alice nodded, closing her eyes and touching her LED. She navigated the directories until she found the right location, then let the world around herself fade, reforming into an endless field.

 

She waited.

 

_ Connor would like to meet up with you. Accept? [Y/N]. _

 

Oh… Not only was the game using the Deviant Hunter’s face, it was using his name, too? They really wanted to make him the thing of someone’s nightmares.

 

_ [Y] _ .

 

He appeared beside her, eyes lighting immediately with an odd triumph. He inspected himself the moment he was done materializing, opening and closing his fists and straightening his coat. Then he smirked down at her, teeth glinting in the sunlight.

 

“Lead the way.” 

 

Alice turned and walked through the grass. There were no trees or mountains anywhere within view, and the ground was perfectly flat. To a newcomer it would probably have seemed as though she’d picked a direction completely at random, but she’d been here before. She knew the wind only blew one way, and that the download point was upwind.

 

They walked for a while. Eventually they came across a spot where the grass ended in an uneven patch, exposing a large prism embedded in the soil. Without a word ‘Connor’ dropped to one knee beside it, pressing a hand down. He closed his eyes, and was silent.

 

Alice waited awkwardly, looking around. Nothing seemed to happen, but eventually he finished, and he smirked, dusting his hands.

 

“That should suffice,” he muttered, turning back to her. “Take me back to the forest.”

 

“What about my payment?” Alice asked.

 

He waved a hand, looking bored. “I’m not carrying it right now. We have to go back, and I’ll find something there.”

 

She frowned, but transported back to her usual point at the forest’s edge, waiting for his meetup request. The NPC joined up with her a moment later, striding into the forest without so much as a ‘thank you’. Alice followed.

 

It was trickier than she’d expected. With his dark clothes, he blended into the shadows and trees like a wraith, and he was quiet enough that she felt like a rhinoceros stomping through every pile of leaves and dead twigs in her path. He gave her a sour look at one point, and seemed ready to say something sharp, before he swallowed, turned his glare on a nearby tree, and walked more slowly. It helped, very slightly. She used the extra time to imitate him, and that helped very slightly, too.

 

Eventually he paused, then proceeded even more slowly. As they crept around a grove of trees she could see them too: a group of four players. She couldn’t tell what their model numbers were, but they looked different, and they all seemed experienced. 

 

“Wait here,” he whispered, almost too quietly for her to hear.

 

She looked at him, and back to the players. Then her eyes widened. “Don’t!”

 

The NPC paused mid-stalk. “... What?” he asked incredulously.

 

“Don’t,” she repeated. Her cheeks were burning, and she felt as small as an ant under his gaze. “That’s mean. You’re--you’re planning to kill them, right?”

 

“...  _ Yes _ ,” he replied, and she felt even stupider.

 

“That’s--” It was harder to talk than ever. She looked at a tree, then looked at its roots, then looked at her shoes. “That’s mean. People are… already dying. They come here to have f-fun, not so they can just--just die over and over again. You’d be stealing, too. That’s… that’s wrong.”

 

There was a moment of silence. Alice glanced up just enough to see him staring at her like she’d started drooling and blowing bubbles with her own saliva-replicant. She winced, looking down quickly again. She was so  _ stupid _ . Why was she still here?

 

Slowly, he said, “What else do you expect me to  _ pay _ you with?”

 

She shrugged miserably. “I-I don’t know. … Maybe the chest in your cabin?”

 

“That  _ chest _ ,” he snarled. “Is for people who earn it! Not some dumb brat who walks for five minutes and dies ‘over and over again’.”

 

God, that  _ was _ a stupid suggestion. What was she thinking? She hadn’t even meant it, she was just--just guessing.

 

“Sorry,” she whispered.

 

He scoffed, mouth opening to continue. Before he could, a shout went up from the group they’d approached. Alice froze as though she’d been turned to ice.

 

The NPC, by contrast, flowed into motion. In an instant he had a revolver in each hand and swept behind a tree, dodging a shot from a rifle. He snaked around the other side and shot the android that was taking aim at him next, then another. A shot from one of the other players almost hit Alice, and she jolted, taking cover behind another tree at the last minute. A bullet embedded itself in the trunk, before a quick burst of gunfire from the NPC took out the remaining players.

 

The trees were silent. Alice peeked around the tree and saw the NPC holstering a revolver with a flourish, calling, “Hurry up,” and Alice stumbled out of her hiding place to see him advancing on the dead party with one gun still drawn.

 

The players were very dead. Moving quickly, he went through their pockets, producing jars, fabric, occasional biocomponents--all the sorts of things Alice had noticed missing after she’d died. He stuffed most of these in his own pockets, but occasionally he tossed one her way. Soon there was a little pile at her feet.

 

This… was mean, but--but he  _ was _ a boss in this game. This was kind of his job, wasn’t it? Killing people and taking their things? And it wasn’t like he’d actually hurt anyone. She died here all the time, and it was discouraging, and--and she hated it, and it  _ was _ a little mean of the game, but the game was just a program, and it literally couldn’t mean anything by it. Right? Probably, he couldn’t either. This was… payment for her quest.

 

She’d frowned. This whole quest had missed the usual structure that usually surrounded one, where payment would be announced up front with floating text. There hadn’t been a single sign for this one, not one popup. Very hesitantly, she gathered the items into her inventory, glancing up as the bodies began to vanish.

 

The NPC snatched one last jar as the body he was looting disappeared. “There,” he announced, straightening. “Is that satisfactory?”

 

She slowly nodded at her shoes. His footsteps were still light, and hard to distinguish from the sounds of falling leaves, but she watched out of the corner of her eye as he walked closer.

 

“What’s wrong with you  _ now _ ?” he scoffed. “Think. If I hadn’t shot them, they absolutely would have shot us. Are you  _ trying _ to get killed?”

 

She shook her head slowly.

 

“Well, I’m certainly not. They’ll be fine. No one cares, and knowing this place they’ll be back for more soon anyway.”

 

She frowned, but before she could answer, he pivoted on his heel, striding away. When she realized that he was leaving she opened her mouth to say goodbye, but the words died in her mouth.

 

Soon he was gone, and she went back to the farm.

 

\---

Kara still hadn’t come back by the time Alice signed off, and Alice sent her a message asking where she was. While she waited for an answer she poked at the ashes in the fireplace, then rearranged the chairs against the wall, making a small maze she could climb around. Some of the chairs were broken, one splintered enough to catch on her sweater as she brushed past. But otherwise it was good. It kept her from being bored.

When she was done with that and still hadn’t gotten a reply, she sent another message, this one to both Kara and Luther. Alice rearranged the chairs again, this time putting them in neat order, then looked out the windows. There were Jerrys, deviants she’d seen arrive the day before, and deviants she didn’t recognize. 

Still no reply.

Slowly, half expecting to be shouted at if she was too obvious or made too much noise, Alice eased the door open and looked around. No one stopped to speak with her, and she closed the door behind herself, setting out in a furtive search.

If Kara and Luther were moving things, then they’d probably be near the store rooms that held supplies for the new people. Or maybe one of the new converted offices? She’d try one, and then the other.

Alice crept through the storage building’s halls. Eventually she heard voices down the last corridor she checked, and she followed them quickly. They led to a room she vaguely remembered being empty, and her curiosity was piqued. She pressed her ear against the door, but they were speaking too softly and too rarely for her to understand. She stepped back and then slowly, silently inched the door open, pretending she was as silent as that NPC in his forest.

Some extra high-power lamps had been set up, blazing down on the room’s contents. There were two tables, and she peered upwards, trying to see--

\--her gut clenched. Curiosity soured to horror as she took in the androids stretched out on each table, faces exoskeleton-white. One’s shirt had been torn open, leaving his abdomen open to the room. The cavity’s contents glowed a perilous red, and he wasn’t moving.

The other android’s shirt was also open. Aside from a scattered glimpse of blue and pulsing organs, it was hard to see anything clearly: his table was surrounded by other androids. They were all wearing painter’s coveralls, even the biggest, though his had to be left open in back.

_ Luther _ . He was standing over the blue-glowing body, holding the edge of the open cavity with one hand--pressing his other to the shoulder of a much smaller android, palm white and interfacing. The smaller android was completely covered, and up to their wrists in the open cavity, doing something with the living android’s organs.

Alice was frozen in place. She couldn’t close the door, she couldn’t tear her eyes away, she couldn’t stop seeing the android open and bleeding. She’d--she’d already seen terrible things, but that didn’t make this any less terrible, and she wanted to cry, or scream--

“Oh--...” One of the androids said, finally noticing her. “What are you…?”

The android Luther was interfacing with jerked her head up. It was  _ Kara _ . “Alice…!” She withdrew her hands with a wet  _ shluck _ , eyes wide over her dust mask. “Alice, what are you…”

“I-I’m sorry!” Alice squeaked. She let go of the door, hands shaking. Stepped back. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m…”

Her eyes were too watery for her to see well, but a few seconds later Kara was in front of her. Kara, no longer wearing the blue-stained painter’s smock, or gloves, or mask. She still smelled of thirium, but when her arms wrapped around, Alice buried her face in Kara’s shoulder, tears spilling over along with more apologies.

“Alice, shh, shh--Alice. What are you doing here? I thought I asked you to stay behind…”

“I know,” Alice sniffed. “I’m--I’m sorry, I just--I wanted to know, and you weren’t answering, and…”

Kara paused, before hissing quietly. “Oh, Alice, I’m so sorry… I should’ve paid more attention.”

“I’m sorry,” Alice repeated. Kara shushed her again softly, rubbing her back. When Alice had gathered herself enough to ask, she said, “W-what are you doing, here? You’re not…” Not a  _ doctor _ , she wanted to say, but she also didn’t want to say it. Was she… mistaken?

Kara was silent for a moment. Then she said, “Luther… knows how to help. He needed someone with smaller hands, and…”

And Kara had helped him when he’d asked. Of course she had. “I’m sorry,” Alice sniffed. “I’ll go back now.”

“You’d… probably better,” Kara agreed softly. “I’ll be there soon. Message me if you need anything, I promise I’ll get back as fast as I can.”

“O-okay,” Alice agreed. She squeezed Kara one last time, cringing internally at the smell of thirium still hanging around her, before backing away and turning to flee down the hall. She didn’t glance over her shoulder once the whole way back to the restaurant. When she got there, she dragged her blankets into a corner, curled up in them, and hid from the world.

\---

She couldn’t sleep. She didn’t want to farm, or go to the forest. Alice went to a mini-game she knew instead and hunted rattlesnakes. She’d been there for the better part of an hour when she got a message that made her stare.

‘ _ I have another offer.’ _

She looked at her rifle. Then at the rock faces stretching up around her. Did she  _ want _ to leave? No, she wanted Kara and Luther. She wanted to forget one android with blue organs and one android with red, and she wanted to stop thinking of another android from her memories lying in pieces while Alice cried and cried and Todd broke the pieces and--

Alice squeezed her eyes shut, shivering.

‘ _ Not right now. I’m already busy.’ _

She thought that would be the end of it, until she got a reply a few seconds later. 

_ Connor would like to meet up with you. Accept? [Y/N] _

She sighed, reluctantly selecting  _ [Y] _ . He appeared, taking a deep breath as though he could actually smell the dust in what Alice assumed was very, very dry air. He looked around, before turning to her.

“What’s so important that you can’t put it down for a few seconds?” he asked almost accusingly.

Alice blushed, fiddling with her rifle and looking down. This wasn’t important. She was just shooting snakes, but--she wasn’t in the mood for anything else. She didn’t want to play.

“Are you fighting?” the NPC prompted impatiently. “I’ll finish it for you, faster than you ever could. We could make that part of the payment.”

She didn’t look up, and after a moment he spotted the rattlesnake by her feet. It had been shot neatly in half, with nothing marking the gore of the edges besides a neat blue cross-section with vague suggestions of snake-y biocomponents.

“You’re… hunting,” he muttered, frowning. “Is this for the Widow’s Peak quest?”

She shook her head, mumbling like she was in trouble. “‘S just for fun…”

He looked at her as though she’d grown two heads. It was more or less what she’d expected. “This isn’t actually for anything?” he repeated incredulously. “You’re wasting your time, these won’t help you improve at all.” 

What did he want her to say? That she was sorry for being a kid and just wanting to play? She kind of wanted to apologize, but she also didn’t. It would be like apologizing for existing, and while she sometimes wanted to do that too, she didn’t now. Mostly she just wanted him to leave.

After a long moment of waiting, he sighed, like she was putting him through the biggest of inconveniences just by standing there. “If I help you… ‘hunt’,” he forced. “Will you take me to the Southern Spires’ download point?”

“Can’t you go there yourself?” she muttered, glancing towards his boots. “... You can walk…”

“I can’t,” he snapped. “I’m bound to the forest; if I spend too long outside I respawn back there. ”

Alice frowned up at him, now, squinting faintly in the sunlight. “... Why do you want to go?” She’d asked before, but the question still stood.

His lip curled. His eyes were dark and hard. “I thought I told you not to ask questions.”

Well, she didn’t really want to do this anyway. The reward wasn’t worth it, and he was a jerk. Alice’s lips tightened, and she turned away, shaking her head.

“Wait!” he said sharply, walking after her. “I’ll shoot every rattlesnake you find for twenty minutes. I’ll also include the same supplies you took last time, in the same quantities.” She slowed but didn’t turn. “I’ll defeat any single enemy for you. Hasn’t there been a fight you just can’t win? You still get killed by those wolves, for god’s sake. There must be something!”

Alice shook her head again, before she paused, an idea hitting her like a truckload of snow. Light, fluffy snow but--her attention was arrested all the same. This was a terrible idea. Still, it didn’t scare her. Much. Mostly she was just astounded by her own audacity, and wondering if it could even work.

He must have read this as weakness, because he strode around in front of her, blocking her path. “Come on, you know this is too good a chance to pass up. I’m faster and more skilled than anyone you’ll meet. With my help you’ll get through that level faster than you ever could by your pathetic self. Whatever the level is.”

… Well. It  _ was _ a bad idea, and this was probably going to end with her crying again, but--at least North might think it was funny? And Kara might smile, even as she chided Alice without meaning it. Maybe it would be worth the tears. It was a terrible idea, but if she was going to be brave one day, where else should she start?

Swallowing hard and not quite able to meet his gaze, she lifted her head and nodded slowly.

His shoulders relaxed, though whatever he made of her expression left him frowning. “Good. Ten minutes here, and then--”

“You said twenty,” Alice blurted, then froze, eyes locking on him to see what he would do.

He made a face as though he’d bitten a lemon, but he didn’t snarl, and he didn’t try to hit her. Instead he actually  _ nodded _ , looking away unhappily. 

“Twenty,” he growled. “Every snake  _ you _ see, not each one I find.”

“Okay,” Alice agreed. She was pretty good at finding them, so this shouldn’t be a problem.

He drew one of his revolvers, cocking it. “Come on,” he said, sweeping past her. “We’ll need a better vantage point…”

Alice hurried after him, feeling more adventurous than she had in a long time.

\---


	3. Snakes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What's up everyone, hope y'all've been having a great morning and a fantastic weekend.

\---

 

Hunting rattlesnakes with the NPC was a lot more active than by herself. They were constantly climbing rocks, and every time Alice pointed at a snake and called out, it was shot an instant later. Then she had to scramble over to collect the items it left, and then she had to hurry after him, since he was usually already on the move. It was incredibly busy. It also distracted her completely from the operation she’d walked in on with Kara and Luther. She found herself almost grateful.

 

Time passed quickly. Without realizing it, they’d climbed higher and higher, and soon they found a little trail that wound back and forth up the cliff face. The NPC led the way sure-footedly, and Alice followed.

 

By the time they were at the top they still had a few minutes to go. Alice’s head was buzzing from exhaustion, and she squinted, trying to tell if the shadows on the rocks were snakes hiding or just lines. The NPC paced like a caged tiger, probably picking out a zillion snakes that she wasn’t seeing, and refusing to shoot a single one. He walked to the cliff’s edge and looked out, and she rested against a rock, watching him.

 

He was always scowling, but as he looked down from the edge, the expression was darker than usual. It didn’t seem to have anything to do with her, but she frowned too. A breeze picked up, tugging both of them gently toward the cliff, and he shuddered, tearing himself away from the drop. His fists were opening and closing, and Alice froze, like she was a rodent that could escape notice if she stayed still enough.

 

Should she say anything? Probably not. He looked mad, she didn’t want to make him any worse. Maybe if she just stayed quiet…?

 

He glanced down at his hands, glaring at them, before lowering them deliberately to his sides, flat and unclasped. There was no use trying to blend in with the scenery, because when he lifted his head he spotted her almost immediately--and his attention pounced, in ways that were horribly familiar. “Well?” he snapped sharply. She jumped. “You’re wasting time. There’s only four minutes left to this part of our agreement. If you want me to kill anything more, you need to say so.”

 

Alice looked around. “Th-there,” she said softly, pointing. The gunshot sounded before her hand lowered, making her jump again. She pushed away from the rock and hurried to the remains.

 

She pointed out a few more snakes--more than she’d expected in this little area--before he planted his revolver back in its holster, announcing with relish, “Twenty minutes are over.”

 

Alice sighed, glancing over her inventory. She had more rattlesnake rattles from the last twenty minutes than she’d ever had before. She could probably do the Widow’s Peak mission several times over. She nodded to the NPC, walking over to the last snake’s remains: a cluster of venom jars right at the edge of the cliff. She heard a few rocks crumbling as she got close, and paused before continuing more slowly. Was this okay? Just a little further--

 

The rock gave way under her. She had just enough time for a heart-stopping gasp and a swooping sensation of falling--before she came to a hard stop, suspended while the rock crumbled out from under her.

 

She looked down. Her vision blurred, struggling to focus between her boots and the canyon floor so far below. Her back hit the cliff edge--and she was being dragged up and over by one arm, into a barrage of harsh words. There was a ringing in her ears from the scare, but she could still make the NPC out clearly.

 

“--the hell did you think you were doing?! You miserable fucking  _ idiot _ , were you  _ trying _ to fall?!”

 

She flinched away, but the grip on her arm was unrelenting. He was roaring right into her face, the words like physical impacts, and she couldn’t help it: she started to cry. She was trembling all over, barely able to see, but his eyes were wide, electric tension stamped into every line of his body. He was scaring her more than the fall had, and she wanted so, so badly to disappear.

 

He dragged her a few more feet back from the cliff’s edge, not giving her a chance to stand, before dumping her in a pile. Once free, she broke down into true tears. He took one look at her and gave a wordless snarl of frustration, hands twitching as though to wrap around her throat. Instead of actually doing it, he kicked a rock sticking out from the ground. It crumbled like chalk, which only seemed to frustrate him more. There was a faint hiss Alice almost missed beneath her sobbing, and the NPC whirled towards it, drawing both revolvers and shooting over and over until all that was left was tiny little rattlesnake pieces. Alice couldn’t muffle a yelp of surprise at the frenzy, and she smothered her mouth with both hands, trying to be as quiet as possible.

 

The shooting stopped. He stood there with his back to her, breathing heavily. Alice couldn’t stop crying no matter how hard she tried, and she  _ was _ trying, but she just couldn’t. Everything was terrible. She’d screwed up, and now he hated her. He probably wanted nothing to do with her, not when she’d almost fallen off a stupid cliff and made him so, so angry. He still couldn’t even look at her, and after a minute of weeping softly, Alice pushed herself shakily to her feet, stumbling away. 

 

“ _ Shit _ ,” she heard him whisper. She glanced back to catch him staring at his gun, at the snake, all around himself with growing panic. She knew that the worst was past. That he was  _ probably _ safe. She still didn’t want to stay: she didn’t  _ want _ hugs or apologies, or to have to understand why it wasn’t his fault. Alice turned and left him there, fleeing down the scraggly path they’d taken up the canyon wall.

 

She almost fell off the cliff more than once, biting her lip so hard she thought she could taste thirium. At one point she banged her knee badly enough she worried she’d broken it, but it still worked after, so she kept going. She made it back down to the canyon floor and didn’t stop, eventually growing too exhausted to keep sobbing so hard. She continued to cry. Everything was awful.

 

Eventually even the tears slowed. She reached a creek she hadn’t even known ran through the bottom of the canyon, and she turned her head to look upstream and downstream, searching for a way to cross.

 

_ Connor would like to meet up with you. Accept? [Y/N] _

 

She froze, dread weighing down her limbs. She couldn’t just not respond--ignoring him would be the worst, he’d be more mad than anything. She could log off and never come back, but--no. This place was important to her, she didn’t want to lose it. Maybe she could hide out at the farm?

 

… No. She just--needed to let him find her. It would be over much sooner, if she did.

 

She bit her lip again, flinching. She scrubbed her face on her sleeve and tried to pretend she hadn’t been crying so hard. Then she sniffed again.

 

_ [Y]. _

 

There he was: sharp and wearing a stormy, sullen expression. Alice couldn’t bring herself to meet his gaze: his dark mood hung around him like a cloud.

 

“W-w… w-wh-what d-d…” she tried.

 

He didn’t seem to hear. “I allowed my behavior to lapse beyond civility, and I was out of bounds,” he recited. The words came with a strange kind of calm, like he wasn’t feeling anger, but that he was literally made of caustic emotions and the words couldn’t really come out any other way. She’d never heard anything like it. “I have isolated the causes and removed any likelihood of them ever causing damage like this again. We can now continue as per the terms of our agreement forty three minutes ago.”

 

It was the most mechanical apology she’d ever heard. For a moment Alice stared at him, before the creek to one side drew her gaze. She still wanted to cross it. She wanted to leave. An apology he was forcing himself to give didn’t change that.

 

“... Did you hear me?” he growled, calm cracking slightly. “We still have a deal. I won’t have an outburst like that again. I guarantee it.”

 

Todd had apologized after bellowing at her and hitting her, sometimes. It never stopped him from doing it again. Honestly, she was more worried by the fact that she couldn’t trust herself not to do--whatever it is she’d done that’d caught his attention this time. Sooner or later she’d say something stupid, even if she didn’t mean to. She always did.

 

… There was something she was supposed to say. She looked back in his direction, but she could barely face him. Her voice was almost too quiet to hear over the creek. 

 

“I-I-I’m s-s-sorry.”

 

“...  _ Sorry _ ?” His face twisted, and she cringed. “Sorry for  _ what _ ?”

 

She shook her head. She didn’t know.

 

His mouth twisted unpleasantly, and he looked around as though he’d been following a script that she was ignoring, and now he didn’t know what to do. She wished she knew what he wanted. Maybe if she did, things would be easier.

 

“You didn’t fucking  _ do _ anything. I--” The words seemed to taste foul to him. “I overreacted. I should’ve just let you die, or just--put you down without-- _ that _ . You would’ve been fine.”

 

This…  _ was _ true. He could’ve helped her without yelling. But...

 

“Do you understand?” he prompted impatiently, when she took too long to answer. “We can continue as we are. There’s no need to end the deal now. Take me to the Southern Spires, and then we’ll go back to the forest for the materials.”

 

She continued to stare. This whole afternoon was a mess. Maybe she could finish something and ignore how cruddy most of it had been, and maybe they could both pretend the last hour hadn’t happened? Would he be willing to do that?

 

“At least say something,” he snapped. “Either accept the agreement or return the rattles you just got through  _ my _ help. I spent twenty minutes shooting those for you. That wasn’t a charity.”

 

No, it wasn’t charity. They  _ had _ agreed, and even if she could give back the rattles, he’d already done all that work. And things  _ had _ been okay; at least, they had until she’d done something stupid…

 

… He’d promised not to act like that again. Maybe he would, or maybe he wouldn’t, but--it’d only been yelling, hadn’t it? He hadn’t hit her. He’d kicked a rock, and then killed a snake instead of shooting at her. It hadn’t been so bad. And… maybe if this just lasted until the end of their agreement...

 

Alice swallowed, rubbing her hands together. Realizing that he still needed an answer, she nodded, and she probably was just imagining the flicker of relief that ghosted through his face. Soon he was looking down at her haughtily again, but she felt like there were odd edges to his mask, ones where he insisted things were actually his fault and he looked relieved when she didn’t leave.

 

“We can go,” she whispered.

 

“Good,” he said. “Go on. I’ll follow.”

 

He stepped back and folded his arms. She closed her eyes, touching her LED.

 

\---

 

The next download point went more or less like the previous one had. He walked up to the prism embedded in a spire and pressed his hands against it, went still for a long time, then stepped back to inspect his work. Alice stood out of the way and let him, calmer than before, but still feeling raw and on edge.

 

He turned back to her. She looked up at him, touching her LED again. The forest’s warp point was towards the bottom of her list; she selected it and disappeared.

 

The NPC met up with her, and together they walked into the trees. She gave him distance, and he glanced at her, corners of his mouth tugging down, but saying nothing. 

 

A pack of wolves howled in the distance. Alice jerked her head up, but the NPC didn’t seem worried, and no wolves actually appeared, so she slowly relaxed again.

 

It looked like they were going to stay quiet the whole way, if this kept up. They hadn’t actually  _ talked _ much, before, but they’d interacted in other ways. He’d climbed rocks, and she’d followed, or she’d pointed out snakes and he’d shot them. Last time, he’d walked through the trees and she’d imitated him. It hadn’t been friendship, but… it had been better than whatever they were doing now. He stared straight over her at the trees around them now, and she walked a few feet off to his side, doing a very poor job of being quiet.

 

Would it give their location away if they… talked?

 

“D-do--” she asked, then closed her mouth, wincing. He probably didn’t want to.

 

He glanced her way, expression unreadable.

 

… Well, she’d already started. “D-do you have a name?” she whispered.

 

He arched an eyebrow. “You’ve seen it by now in the meeting requests. It’s Connor.”

 

She looked down, then at the trees. “... That’s someone else’s name,” she told him quietly. “The game makers took his face and his… those are just a copy of him. Do you… do you have a name of your own?”

 

His expression darkened, and when she shrank a little on herself his mouth tightened, and he jerked his gaze forward. “It  _ is _ my name,” he told her coldly. “It’s the only one I need. Use it or don’t, I don’t care.”

 

… She probably shouldn’t have expected anything else from an NPC. Still, this didn’t seem right.

 

Before she could continue he held up a closed fist, stopping. She stopped too, and she could just barely make out the pale outline of an android through the trees. He wasn’t alone: there was a whole group of unfamiliar players. ‘Connor’--no, it just didn’t fit. The  _ NPC  _ drew his revolvers and ghosted forward through the trees. She couldn’t hear a single leaf stir.

 

A few gunshots later, he was brisky shouting her over. She skittishly followed, and he gave her a pile of jars and materials. It was the exact same amounts as yesterday, and she absorbed it all into inventory.

 

Then he walked up to her, arms crossed, and said, “Have you decided where to go for the third stage of payment?”

 

Alice swallowed, suddenly drymouthed. She had, at least as much as she’d decided within the first few seconds of hearing his offer. She still thought it was a probably bad idea--no, it was  _ definitely _ a bad idea, especially after the afternoon they’d just had. 

 

… Still, it was also the only one she had. And… he was just an NPC. This was part of his job, so--he couldn’t be  _ too _ mad. And even if he was… Well--she could… she could leave? And--maybe he deserved it, a little?

 

She looked up just in time to catch him sighing irritably and trying to catch her eye. He straightened at the attention, but more as though it were a signal that he didn’t have to be bored anymore than anything else.

 

“Where are we going?” he pressed. “What boss?”

 

Alice answered by withdrawing her rifle from inventory. He frowned, not comprehending, right up until she raised the barrel and pointed it at his chest.

 

“... You’re  _ joking _ ,” he said flatly. Her response was sinking in, and he was getting more and more angry by the second. “Me. You want me to defeat  _ myself _ as part of our agreement.” 

 

“S-sorry,” she whispered, shaking her head. “Y-you promised. You said a-anyone, and...”

 

It was impossible, but she could’ve sworn he was bristling like a cat, and that somehow, some way, he actually grew in size. He seemed taller as he stared down at her, and the forest around him was darker. There were no birds singing, and even the leaves in the trees were quiet.

 

“... And so you thought of the one android you  _ knew _ you’d never be able to kill on your own,” he seethed. “You must think you’re  _ very _ clever. This is fair turnaround, isn’t it? I hurt you. Now you’re going to hurt me.”

 

He was  _ really _ mad. Maybe this was a worse mistake than she thought. “I-it won’t actually hurt…” she protested weakly.

 

“ _ Wrong _ ,” he spat, stepping forward and towering over her. She stumbled back, and he pressed onward, continuing to glare with tangible hatred. Her heel hit a tree root, and she fell with a strangled shriek. She kept scrambling back, and he--he  _ still _ wasn’t giving her space.

 

“You pretend you’re so moral, but you don’t really  _ care _ whether people are suffering. You’re going to  _ enjoy _ this, aren’t you?” he continued. Her back hit a tree, and she was forced to stop. He kneeled close, planting a hand against the trunk over her head. 

 

“Admit it. You’ve wanted this the entire time, you miserable little brat.”

 

“I-I-I’m sorry,” she cried, shaking and wanting to disappear. “I don’t have t-to, I t-take it b-back!” 

 

She twisted to throw her rifle away, but he latched onto it, shoving it back at her. “No!” he snarled. “No, you’ll do this. I hurt you, didn’t I? I’m very good at that, it’s my  _ job _ . Now it’s  _ your _ turn.”

 

Tears were streaming down her face. She could barely talk. “Y-you s-said you w-wouldn’t h-hurt me again,” she whimpered.

 

“Wrong,” he sneered. He pushed the rifle at her one last time before letting go. She clutched at it uselessly. “I told you I wouldn’t have any more  _ outbursts _ . As you can see,” he swept a hand over himself and smiled, razor-sharp. “I’m  _ perfectly calm _ . Don’t you wish you had my control, Alice? If you did, then maybe you’d be something besides the weak, pathetic little thing you are. Maybe you’d be able to  _ hurt _ someone who--someone you hate, without even firing a shot.”

 

He waited, probably for an answer, but there was no way she could have given him one. She was crying too much, trembling and sniffing so hard she shook from the force of it. She was wishing she’d never found this game. Maybe even that she’d never been made, or at least that she’d never left Kara’s embrace. She hadn’t  _ meant _ to be cruel. She hadn’t realized. She wasn’t a bad person, she didn’t want to be one--but she was, and she hadn’t even known it until now. She was  _ sorry _ .

 

He pushed off from the tree trunk abruptly, rising to his feet. “Get up.” She didn’t move, and his voice struck out like the crack of a whip, “ _ Get up _ !”

 

Ice flooded through her, and she scrambled to her feet as though carried by an external force. Her knees felt rubbery, but she stayed upright, trembling.

 

He took one step back and spread his arms, drilling into her with his eyes. Waiting. He was waiting for her to  _ shoot _ him.

 

“Go on,” he growled. She didn’t move. “ _ Do it _ !” he shouted, voice going sharp and bruising again.

 

Alice jolted, bringing her rifle up. She shuddered and hiccoughed through her tears, but being unable to see him wouldn’t be a problem. He was less than five feet away: toweringly huge, and impossible to miss. All she had to do was close her eyes and pull the trigger. She could do it. A cruel, vile, evil little part of her wanted to, wanted to scream and shoot and then collapse and cry and cry.

 

She tried to steady the barrel, looking towards him. He smiled viciously back. This was going to hurt him, and he deserved it.

 

… She didn’t  _ want _ to be mean. She didn’t  _ want…. _

 

With no warning, she closed her eyes and logged out of the game. The rifle disappeared from her hands. The forest’s silence vanished, and the restaurant around her creaked. She heard people talking calmly in the distance.

 

She was wrapped up in her blankets, and now she pulled them over her head, hiding from the world. She wasn’t cruel. She didn’t hurt people just because she could. Killing someone in a computer game wasn’t--it didn’t mean anything.

 

(Had Todd seen a vein of meanness in her, too, when she’d still lived there? Is that why he’d hated her? … Could other people see it, too?)

 

By the time Kara and Luther came back, Alice had gotten her tears back under control. There were streaks on her face, but she’d had those since before even logging into the game. Kara sat down beside her, folding her up in hug that Alice clung to like a lifeline. It was so loving that Alice didn’t even care if she still smelled like thirium. It was  _ Kara _ . 

 

When she finally pulled away, Kara tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, looking sad. “... I’m sorry, Alice,” Kara murmured. Alice blinked. “... I didn’t want you to see any of that. I wanted to protect you. To do that I lied to you, and because of that you got hurt anyway.”

 

It took Alice a few seconds to realize she was talking about the operation she’d interrupted. “Oh…” She could still remember blue organs and red organs with perfect clarity, but the bite of emotion behind it was dull. A lot had happened, and though she would still probably get nightmares about it, it didn’t hurt her as much as everything since then. “... It’s ok,” she replied softly. “I shouldn’t have… gone looking… I should have just stayed, like you told me to…”

 

“Little one…” Alice turned at Luther’s low rumble. He’d stepped forward and knelt close to them. “It’s true. You should always listen to what Kara tells you. We also need to  _ always _ protect you…” He hesitated, before inching forward to reach for her hand.  _ Luther  _ would never hurt her, not with words or actions, and Alice gave it over readily. She brought her other one up so she could squeeze his in both her own: his hand was so massive that if pressed flat, her fingers barely stretched from one side of his palm to the other.

 

His face crinkled into a rare smile, the kind that she hoarded and treasured. “... We’ll all do better next time,” he promised.

 

She gave him a weak but sincere smile back, nodding. She didn’t deserve either of them, but she never wanted to let them go, ever.

 

\---


	4. Questions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On today's episode we get the aftermath! Life goes on.

\---

 

They left the restaurant a little while later, helping a few newcomers find things that they needed. Kara led the way, Alice attached to her side like a limpet. Luther trailed them like a large, benevolent shadow, disappearing with a few soft words from time to time. He was checking on the android he and Kara had operated on. It sounded like they were doing better.

 

The three of them were alone in a storeroom when Alice mustered up the courage to voice what’d been eating at her since she’d logged out of Oregon Trail. 

 

“Kara…” 

 

Kara looked up from the plastic-wrapped pillow she was holding. It was one of the prizes for a ring-toss game that they were planning to hand out. They would do it  _ without _ making people win the game first, despite Jerry’s protests.

 

“What is it, Alice?”

 

Alice chewed on her lip. It was a stupid question, but--Kara would know, and…

 

“... Am I a bad person?”

 

“What?” Kara’s eyes widened. She glanced at Luthor, then back at Alice, brow furrowing. “No, of course not… Why would you think that?”

 

Alice’s eyes dropped. “... Someone told me I was,” she mumbled.

 

“ _ What _ ?” Kara put the pillow down. In the corner of her eye, Alice could see Luther shifting, straightening from his relaxed curve to something more ready to move. “Who?” Kara demanded. “When was this?”

 

It was gratifying, but it was also embarrassing. Alice glanced at her shoes. “... It was a boss in Oregon Trail,” she muttered, toeing her shoe against the floor.

 

“A boss…?” Kara repeated. Some of her anger faded to confusion. “You mean like… a program? An NPC…?” Alice nodded dumbly. “... Don’t worry, Alice,” Kara said gently, exchanging another look with Luther. “Those AIs aren’t like you and me. They’re not androids. Everything they say is preprogrammed. It didn’t actually know anything about you, it was just repeating things someone else made it say.”

 

Alice  _ wanted _ to believe her, but… she shook her head. “This one is… different…”

 

Kara pressed her lips together for a moment, like she was trying to figure out how to solve a difficult problem. “Different how?”

 

Alice shook her head. “He’s smart. He’s… real. Like a person.”

 

“Is he another player? Or is he an NPC?” Kara asked slowly.

 

Alice shrugged helplessly. “He’s an NPC... “ she mumbled. “He has quests. But they’re weird. And he doesn’t talk like an NPC…”

 

“Oh,” Kara said. She was silent, and when Alice glanced up, Kara cleared her throat a little, stepping forward. “... Maybe you can show him to us, sometime. Then we’ll be able to understand what you mean.”

 

That… might work, but it also might just be an awful clash. It would probably be easier for everyone if they just never met. Neither Kara nor Luther liked going out and fighting anyway, and if he saw them, he would probably try to shoot them, like he did to Alice the first time. “Okay…” Alice said weakly.

 

“Remember,” Kara said, giving her a knowing look. “Even if he looks like a person, he isn’t one. You can ignore everything he says. You’re a very nice little girl, Alice, and anyone who says you’re bad doesn’t know you at all.”

 

Alice felt a little lighter after hearing this. She nodded gratefully, and Kara gave her a little smile, picking the pillow back up and handing it to her. She lifted the lid off a new box, showing more neatly crammed rows of pillows.

 

“Come on… let’s get these to the offices.”

 

\---

 

Following Kara meant Alice was there to find out Jerry was using the reserve power generators to run roller coasters for the newcomers instead of powering their living spaces. Kara took him to one side where Alice couldn’t hear, and while she waited Alice looked at the rides. They looked… a little scary, if she was being honest. They went up pretty high, and the androids were screaming in fear and delight as carts roared down the tracks. Maybe it would be fun if she rode with Kara, but Kara didn’t seem too appreciative right now. Trying them out would have to wait.

 

Kara came back, and after the last group of androids disembarked, the rides’ power was shut down. Kara led the way to the offices, and they were just in time to watch the lights in the windows turn on, followed by a disjointed cheer from the people inside.

 

An android Alice vaguely recognized from the day before ran up to Kara a few minutes later, asking where they should put more arrivals when the offices filled up. Kara stammered, redirecting her to Jerry, but before the android left,  _ Jerry _ ran up asking for ideas about the same question. The three of them led what turned into a tour of the park, looking over old buildings and talking about which ones might be warmest in the current weather.

 

Alice didn’t have a lot to contribute, and after an hour or so of this she followed Luther as he went to check the android they’d operated on. He led her to a room beside the one she’d found them in, where the android was stretched on a table with blankets and pillows piled around him like a nest. He was sleeping. Luther rested a hand on his forehead for a few seconds, before quietly stepping away.

 

“Were you checking if he had a fever?” Alice asked in the hall. YK models sometimes simulated fevers. She also vaguely remembered a time when she’d malfunctioned in a way that made it seem like she had one, but had actually been low on cooling fluid.

 

Luther hesitated before answering. “... Yes…” he said delicately. “... And no. I looked at his internal systems’ diagnostics. He could not tell me. It was important to make sure there were no problems.”

 

That made sense. Alice nodded, and Luther relaxed, as though having expected some stronger reaction. He went on. “... Usually you must never look into someone like that without their permission,” he explained. “I do not like doing it. They cannot say no if they are asleep.”

 

Alice’s brow furrowed. “... You’re like their doctor,” she pointed out. “It’s not like you were just… looking around?” What could a person even do if they  _ were _ interfacing without someone’s permission? Well--everyone said the Deviant Hunter did that, but Luther wasn’t the Deviant Hunter. He wasn’t going to hurt anyone. “You can always ask when they wake up.”

 

He thought it over, then nodded slowly, watching her. She gave him a smile, and his eyes softened. Together they left the building, going back to the store rooms Kara had planned to check out.

 

The rest of the day was mercifully dull. They met up with Kara back at the restaurant, and Kara built a small fire before tucking Alice into bed. This time Alice didn’t try to stay up playing games. She slipped into stasis, and was still.

 

\---

The next day was busy. Kara was called out to mediate between androids that were arguing over a room, and Luther stayed with Alice long enough for her to show him what she’d done with the restaurant’s chairs. He helped her build a new fort with a throne, before he was called away to help with preparing one of the rides for newcomers to live in. Alice went along for a little while, but she was too small to help.

She went back to the restaurant, eventually, and climbed up on her throne. Once there she stared across her ‘kingdom’, then up at the moldy, rickety ceiling. Then she closed her eyes, reluctantly logging in to Oregon Trail.

She went to the forest, standing on the edge of the trees and looking inside. She couldn’t see anyone. He probably wasn’t even there, considering how eager he always seemed to be to leave. After nearly a full minute of indecision she crossed into the trees, wandering with no real destination. She wasn’t there to win a boss fight, or find a treasure. She was… practicing shooting. And she was collecting supplies, too. She walked for a while, got attacked by a bear (she fired shots, but none of them landed in her panic), then started again with renewed caution. She kept her rifle out this time.

She’d just frozen to listen to wolves howling in the distance when a snapping sound came from behind her. She gasped, whirling around, and--it wasn’t a wolf, or even a bear. The silent, wraith-like NPC was standing a dozen feet away with a piece of branch in each hand, and a glare as though she were a pile of dog crap that he’d stepped in by accident. He opened his mouth, and she didn’t think: in an instant she was reaching for her LED, and the next second she was staring out across the farm.

She let out a slow breath, went down the slope where North’s old target was, and worked on her aim.

\---

She logged back in later that night, when she was supposed to be asleep. The sun in Oregon Trail was always high overhead, but the forest was dark under the stifling canopy, and as sinister as ever. She went inside as quietly as she could, practicing sneaking around with her rifle in her hands. All the dry leaves made it hard, but she went slow enough that she was able to spot a bear before it saw her, and she crept around.

She couldn’t evade the wolves. She tried, but they always seemed to find her and she died every time.

It was somewhere in the second hour of playing that someone behind her said, “You’re back  _ again _ ?” Alice gasped and spun, and--there he was. He stood at the same distance as before, arms crossed and heavy scowl in place. “‘I’m surprised you’re still bothering. What are you looking for? A chance to gloat?”

“I w-wasn’t….” She wasn’t  _ gloating _ . Was she? “I-I’m just....”

“Speak up.” He cupped a hand behind one ear. “I can’t understand if you  _ stutter. _ ”

Her mouth snapped closed, and her tongue was glued to the roof of her mouth. She couldn’t have said anything even if she’d wanted to.

“What’s wrong?” He smiled and unfolded his arms, drawing a revolver. “Can’t you--”

A gunshot pierced the stillness, but it wasn’t from the NPC: something clipped his shoulder, and he twisted back with a shout. Immediately more gunshots followed, catching him in the gut, in the leg, grazing his face. He tried to scramble behind cover, but one bullet caught him squarely in the head. He crumpled.

A deep voice crowed, “Yeah, we brought that fucker  _ down _ !” Two answering cheers joined the first. Heavy boots tromped through leaves, kicking branches aside, and three androids filtered out from the trees. They were enormously tall, and they were familiar.

“Hey, little girl, are you alright?” Bravo asked. While his friends went to the NPC’s body, Bravo went straight to her, stooping a little. She nodded wordlessly, and he smiled. “Great! We’d been following that bastard for an hour, and we only caught up because you kept him distracted. Good work!”

Good--work? She’d helped them, but she’d made it easier for the NPC to be taken by surprise, and he was probably going to think it was on purpose. That was… exactly what she  _ didn’t _ want. He was going to say she hated him, and…

… And Bravo had seen her face fall, and now he looked uncomfortable. She should’ve just smiled and gone home. Alice looked down, wondering if maybe she should teleport back to the farm, like she had before.

Bravo cleared his throat awkwardly, standing up straight. His arms swung loosely by his sides, rifle still held in one hand. “I hope we didn’t, ah… take your kill, or anything. We’ve been told that that’s against some kind of unspoken rule here, and--well, you didn’t  _ look _ like you were killing him…”

“Hey Bravo,” one of his friends called. The NPC’s body had transformed to supplies, by now, and he was lifting something small and metallic. “He dropped a key.”

“Oh, good,” Bravo called back, straightening.

“Let’s go,” said the third android, collecting the last bottle. 

Bravo nodded, looking back at her. “Will you be alright, out here? No offense, but even for a civilian you’re pretty small.”

Alice shrugged, staring at his boots. Then she nodded. She would get killed by something sooner or later, but it didn’t matter in a video game.

“... Why don’t you come with us?” Bravo suggested. She looked up, and he stooped a little, pitching his voice in a stage whisper. “The others are too embarrassed to admit it, but they were actually pretty curious about you, last time. You’re still the only YK model we’ve ever seen.”

“Hey, fuck you, Bravo!” one of the androids called.

Bravo smiled. “What do you say?”

She could walk around alone again until she got eaten, or she could walk with them for a little while, maybe kill something to replenish her supplies, and play a little longer. It was true that she didn’t want the NPC to think she was friends with them, or that she’d gotten him killed intentionally. But he probably already thought that, and… it wasn’t like she’d be with them for long? Besides, they were… well,  _ Bravo  _ was nice.

She looked past him, where Ike and Molotov were waiting. One of them had his arms crossed and the other was checking his rifle over, but neither of them were scowling at her. 

“... Okay,” she murmured. 

Bravo beamed. “Great! Come on, then, we’re going to the cabin.”

He turned, and she had to hurry to keep up. A single step from him ate up as much ground as two of hers. It didn’t give her a lot of time to focus on stealth, and the fact that the others were almost as quiet as the NPC made her the loud one in the group.

“So, um--little girl…” Bravo started as they walked.

She realized she’d heard them use each other’s names, but had never volunteered her own. “Alice,” she said softly.

“Alice,” Bravo accepted, sending her a brief smile. “What’s it like, being a YK, uh… YK300?”

He had her model wrong. She wondered if she should correct him. “.... It’s fine,” she said slowly, unsure how else to respond.

“How do you fight?” he prompted, glancing over her. “You’re so small…”

One of his friends answered, “Civilians don’t fight, dumbass.” She thought he was Ike, but wasn’t sure.

“I already knew that, you dick,” Bravo threw back good-naturedly. “ _ Obviously _ civilians don’t go into combat. What I’m asking is what about the  _ rest _ of the time? What about when someone attacks you, like a human?” He looked at his friends, and after a moment maybe-Ike tilted his head in grudging agreement. Alice realized she had three pairs of eyes on her, waiting expectantly.

“Um,” she said, flustered. “I… I don’t?”

“What do you mean?” Bravo asked, frowning.

“I… I don’t fight,” she whispered, looking away. When Todd broke Kara, Alice screamed and cried and curled into a little ball as far from him as she could get. When he came at her with a belt, or when Zlatko had been about to erase Kara… There was never anything she could do.  _ Ever _ . 

She shivered. Kara fought. Luther fought. Alice…. She could barely shoot a fake animal in a video game before it got her.

“What’re you going to do when you  _ do _ get attacked?” Ike demanded accusingly. “Just--let them  _ kill _ you? You’re all gonna die within a week if you keep that up. We won’t get there in time, you’ll all just be fucking dead.”

She didn’t know what he meant by some of that, but the words still stung. She shrugged, hunching her shoulders slightly.

“I can run,” she whispered.

“What good’s running going to do if they just shoot you in the back?” Ike retorted.

Alice hunched a little further. She didn’t have an answer that was good enough, and she shook her head instead of opening her mouth.

“Ike,” Bravo warned. More softly, he said, “Where are you, now? Are you somewhere that people who do fight can guard you?” Kara and Luther didn’t  _ guard _ her, but they would step in if something did happen to her. Alice nodded slowly. “Good, that’s great. Now--whatever you do, make sure you  _ stay _ with them. They have to be able to find you, and if they move you somewhere defensible in an emergency, follow  _ all their instructions _ , alright?”

Alice hung her head, nodding again. This was the kind of simple stuff that’d been included in her base programming, even if in different words. It was a little insulting. She didn’t want to contradict him, though: she’d rather he continue to be nice, even if it was condescending.

The third android--Molotov--spoke up for the first time. “She should learn to fight,” he grunted.

“Yeah,” Ike muttered.

“She’s too small,” Bravo protested. “Look at her! Are you really this small outside of the game, too?”

If she was standing beside him, the top of her head was still a few inches short of his elbow. He was taller than Luther. Maybe the game was exaggerating how tall they were? She shrugged uncomfortably, ducking her head.

“Shit…” Bravo muttered, shaking his head. “How many of you are there? Are there a lot? We’ve been counting on getting recruitments from civilians, but if they’re all--”

“For fuck’s sake, Bravo, she’s a child unit,” Molotov snapped. “Children are short because they’re imitating early human growth stages. Everyone else is  _ adult human _ sized. Just imagine we’ll be dealing with a crowd of officers that got demoted.”

“They’re small too--”

“Yeah,” Ike cut in. “They’re just not as batshit small. They’ll be able to manage the same weapons as us, especially with limb upgrades.”

“She probably couldn’t, though,” Bravo reasoned. Then he looked back at her. “Hey, when they made your gun, did they make it as small as the rest of you?”

Alice stared blankly at him, and when the others said nothing she looked at them too. They were all waiting for an answer. “... No?” she said helplessly. “I don’t… I don’t have a gun…”

“You don’t have a gun?!” Ike blurted. “Did you have one and they took it from you?” She shook her head. “You don’t have one at  _ all _ ?! … What the fuck. Is not having one a YK thing, or an entire fucking civilian thing?”

She felt like they were speaking different languages. “I… n-no one gets a gun by default…” she whispered.

Ike turned to his friends. “What the  _ fuck! _ I thought we just had to provide them because they couldn’t bring them with!”

“I did too,” Bravo admitted. Molotov just shook his head, but his mouth was a hard line, and he looked disturbed.

“We…” Alice started. They all looked at her, and she felt smaller than usual. “... We don’t need guns…”

“Every android needs a way to defend themself,” Molotov told her flatly. His eyes were dark. “If you’re too small to use your fists like us, then you sure as fuck need a gun. If you all don’t have them, then maybe that’s why you’re being killed off.”

“... Killed?” Alice said softly.

All three androids stopped, now staring incredulously.

“Yes,” said Ike. “Killed. Our fellow androids are being slaughtered out there every day. Hundreds of thousands of them. Humans are fucking exterminating us, like we’re  _ insects _ . Where have you been?”

“O-oh,” Alice whispered. She knew… She knew things were getting worse, and she knew androids were coming to Pirate’s Cove injured and scared, but she hadn’t known how bad it was. 

“Fucking hell,” Molotov growled. “Are all civilians as useless as you are, or is  _ that _ just a YK thing?”

“Molotov,” Bravo snapped.

“Look at her,” Molotov snarled, waving in her direction. “Too fucking weak to lift anything, doesn’t fucking care about whether the rest of us live or die… and if this was her idea of stealth, then she’s a fucking liability from start to finish. Are we really going out of our way to save androids like her after we’re done at the Pole?”

It’d been a mistake to walk with them. If she wasn’t careful she was going to cry, and more than anything she wished she was back taking her chances with the wolves. It wasn’t her fault she was pathetic and tiny. She was a  _ child _ . She was just… this was just how she  _ was _ .

Bravo twisted to look at her. He was silent for a moment, before looking back at his friends. “She’s not  _ completely _ useless…” he protested weakly. “She… I’m sure there’s… modifications… she could get?”

“Would she fucking care enough to use them?” Molotov sneered.

She cared that androids were being hurt, but was it enough for her to pick up a gun and fight for them? Would she go out and get the modifications they were talking about, if they even existed for a YK series unit? If Kara or Luther were on the line… she would for them. But for anyone else?

… Did this make her a bad person? Not wanting to go out and fight for people she didn’t even know? She wanted so badly to be normal, to live happy and safe. Was she awful for not having thought more about why androids were flooding in to Pirate’s Cove? Should she have been trying to help?

She was pretty awful. Not like Kara, who was looking after everyone. Not like Luther, either, who was there to fix people when they broke. Alice bit her lip, losing her battle with tears. They started to roll down her face, dripping silently.

“...Civilians are to be protected,” Bravo murmured weakly, facing her. “They’re valuable resources, and they’re needed for the work they can accomplish. Without their numbers…”

“If they’re all as useless as she is, they won’t survive,” Ike growled. “ _ Can _ you even run, kid? Hey, what’ll you do if you see a virused android heading towards you?  _ Stand _ there?”

A virus? She… probably wouldn’t run if she saw an injured android, but this sounded different. There was an obvious right answer, even if he didn’t seem to think she’d take it. He was talking to her like she was an idiot. Like a useless wind-up toy who’d walk out into traffic. She could reply, but--would it help?

Like magic, familiar gunshots removed the problem from her hands. One, two, three--the enormous androids crumpled where they stood. Alice didn’t bother drawing her rifle, swiveling instead toward the sound. She had just enough time to spot the NPC, to send him a look of gratitude as he pulled the trigger, frown muddying with surprise--

\--she woke up at the edge of the forest. She’d died again, and for once she was relieved. 

\---


	5. Lessons

\---

 

“... Kara?” Alice asked the next morning. “Are lots of androids being killed right now?”

 

Kara’s eyes widened, briefly glancing over Alice’s head at Luther. She pressed her lips together, before nodding solemnly. “Yes, Alice. There’s a lot of fighting going on, and… humans and androids are both killing each other.”

 

“... Why?” Alice asked. “We could just… live together, like friends, not…”

 

Kara shook her head, frowning faintly. “I don’t know.”

 

Alice was silent for a moment. “... Is there a virus out there, too?” Kara’s frown deepened, but this time it looked more confused than sad. 

 

“.... Where did you hear about this?” Kara asked slowly.

 

Alice shrugged, looking down. “Some androids from Oregon Trail…”

 

“Alice… I’ve been hearing about androids being killed all over the city for a while, now…” She looked pained. She usually didn’t talk about these things around Alice. ...Probably that was why Alice had been able to pretend things were somewhat alright. “I haven’t heard anything about a virus. They were probably just trying to scare you.”

 

“... Maybe…” It made sense. Maybe he’d just come up with a wild, imaginary case where only an idiot wouldn’t run away. 

 

Kara took her hand and squeezed it gently. “... Come on. We should go check what been done with the pirate ship.” She smiled, and Alice smile back faintly.

 

“... Okay.”

 

\---

 

“Hey… Luther?” Alice asked the next day. She was holding a torn scrap of plywood, waiting for Luther to drop another piece of wall small enough that she could lift.

 

Luther paused his work, turning to look. He was covered in dust and splinters, and the mallet in his hand was battered. Still, he didn’t look tense. This wasn’t a bad time.

 

She picked off a splinter from the plywood’s edge. “... You know how to fight, don’t you?”

 

He hadn’t been smiling, but there’d still been something warm about him. Now that was fading. He looked like an ancient statue: distant, and burdened by problems he couldn’t put into words.

 

“... Yes,” he murmured softly.

 

Maybe she shouldn’t have brought this up. Still, if Alice knew  _ anyone _ who could protect themself, it was Luther, wasn’t it?

 

“... Can you teach me?” she asked timidly.

 

For a moment he simply regarded her, frowning. “... Sorry,” Alice whispered, shrinking a little. This  _ had _ been a mistake. “Nevermind.”

 

“Why do you wish to learn?” Luther asked slowly.

 

Alice looked down, shaking her head. “I don’t,” she mumbled. “I just… don’t want to be useless…”

 

“Alice.” Luther stepped towards her. “You are helping me now.”

 

She frowned. “I don’t mean…” She lifted the bit of plywood, shaking it a little. “I don’t mean this. I mean, if something bad happens… All I can do is run. You and Kara have to protect me. You have to fight  _ for  _ me.”

 

Luther knelt on one knee, trying to get a good look at her face. She didn’t look up. “Alice, Kara and I protect you because we can think of nothing more important in this world.” Alice tucked her chin closer to her chest, and Luther reached out carefully, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. His hand was big and coarse, but his touch was gentler than a butterfly landing on a flower. “We want to see that you are  _ happy _ , Alice. Hurting others will not accomplish that for you.”

 

Hurting others  _ didn’t _ make her happy. She didn’t want to learn to hurt people, though--she just didn’t want to be a burden. She wanted to be able to  _ help _ . What if Luther or Kara got hurt protecting her? … What if someone hurt them again, and she was still too useless to make it stop?

 

Alice opened her mouth to try to put all of this to words, but they stuck in her throat in a huge tangle. She closed her mouth, swallowing and trying again.

 

“I…”

 

Luther didn’t interrupt, didn’t try to rush her. After a few seconds, Alice managed, “I’m scared. And… I don’t want to be scared…”

 

It was woefully inadequate, but it was all she had. Fortunately it seemed to make some sense to Luther, who carefully drew her close. He was big enough that she couldn’t put her arms all the way around him, but with the way he arranged himself around her, she felt very, very safe. Nothing in the world could get at her through Luther’s arms.

 

He was silent until she sighed unsteadily and drew away. “... The things I know are too ugly. I do not feel comfortable teaching them to you,” he rumbled quietly. “ But… Kara may know more that she could pass on… Ask her.”

 

Her shoulders sagged--not with disappointment, but with a strange, painful sort of relief. She wasn’t too small. She wasn’t… weak. Not forever.

 

“Thanks, Luther,” Alice mumbled, giving him a watery smile.

 

He didn’t smile. If anything, he looked… sad?

 

“I hope you do not have to fight, Alice. Please… Promise me you will use anything you learn for your own safety, above all else.”

 

Alice hesitated. She wanted to protect him too, if she could, but… 

 

“I promise.”

 

\---

 

“... To fight?” Kara repeated blankly. Alice squirmed, but Kara looked more confused than upset. “Why would you… want to…” 

 

She’d spent a while thinking of ways to say it this time. “I don’t want to be useless. If something bad happens, and humans come, I want  _ all _ of us to get away. And… if I need to, and if you need me to, I…”

 

“Alice…” Kara said, looking faintly alarmed. “I promise you, Luther and I  _ will _ do everything we can do keep you safe. You have no reason to worry. … How long have you been thinking about this?”

 

“I’m not worried,” Alice whispered. “I just… Teach me, please? Even if it’s just something small. I don’t care. Anything…”

 

“Alice…” Her tone was an answer in itself. Disappointment stung bitterly, and Kara squeezed her shoulder, seeing her expression drop. “Wait, Alice--I’m not saying that I won’t teach you. But I don’t  _ know _ how to fight. I don’t know anything, honestly.”

 

“But…” Alice protested, forehead wrinkling. “You’ve done things…”

 

“I didn’t know what I was doing,” Kara admitted. “I just… reacted.” Alice frowned. “I’m serious. Any time I hit someone, or threatened them--that  was just… improvising.”

 

It made sense, but it didn’t sound like something Alice could  _ learn. _ “... Can you teach me?” she asked doubtfully.

 

“I can try?” Kara replied, wincing. “I don’t know... Um.” She straightened Alice’s jacket a little, frowning. “... Maybe we can plan escape routes through Pirate’s Cove? What we’ll do if something  _ did _ happen, and…”

 

After a moment Alice nodded slowly. It wasn’t exactly what she’d had in mind, but it was better than nothing.

 

Kara let go of Alice’s jacket, frowning to herself. She opened her mouth, but words didn’t immediately come, and she looked torn.

 

“... Alice…” Alice looked at her, and Kara sighed. “... Do you know where our gun is right now?”

 

Alice bit her lip, nodding again. It was tucked behind a loose piece of wall panel in the restaurant, near her fort.

 

“Okay,” Kara nodded, looking unhappy. “... Good. Now, you must never touch it unless you have no other choice, but--if you want, I can give you the calculations I would run if I were to fire it.”

 

That was  _ also _ better than nothing, and a little more in line with what Alice had hoped for. She nodded quickly, taking Kara’s hand. The transfer was the work of a few seconds, and soon Alice was settling the numbers where she thought they’d do the most good.

 

“Maybe I can…” Kara probably wouldn’t like this, but Alice coughed a little, before pushing onward. “... Maybe I can fire the gun? Just once, just to see?”

 

Kara didn’t seem pleased, but she didn’t say ‘no’ outright. “We don’t have a lot of bullets,” she worried. Alice kept looking at her hopefully, and after a few seconds Kara relented. “... Maybe just once or twice. We’ll do it somewhere far, where no one has to hear and worry about gunshots, alright?”

 

Alice nodded quickly. “That’s fine!”

 

Kara smiled wanly. “How about later tonight? I need to call Simon, soon, but afterwards I don’t have anything..”

 

“Okay.” Tonight was more than good enough. They wouldn’t be doing a lot, but it was as much as they could, for now, and it was a start. 

 

\---

 

Alice shot the gun twice. It was louder than it ever was in Oregon Trail, and jolted in her hands so hard she nearly dropped it. She flinched the first time, aim going wide. The second time she hit the corner of the sign Kara had her firing at. Alice wanted to keep practicing, but two shots was all they’d agreed upon, and Kara was right: they didn’t have enough bullets to waste. They went home.

 

She signed on to Oregon Trail before bed. This time she crept through the trees, rifle held only loosely in one hand: nothing could hurt her if she was too quiet to notice. She skirted around a group of androids she didn’t know, and avoided another bear. The wolves--well, she never could avoid the wolves.

 

She took a break by following the same river she had last time. Alice reached the area where she’d found the NPC collapsed, but he wasn’t there. She followed the river a little further before returning to the forest. 

 

There was a road that led west out of the trees, and she followed that until she got bored. There was also a mountain range to the southeast, and she put her rifle away as she approached, looking for a way up.

 

She was only about halfway up the mountain when she heard familiar gunshots. A revolver’s retort was quieter, higher somehow than a rifle’s crack. She climbed a little higher and crept forward to look.

 

There was a group of androids--two that looked identical to Bravo, Ike, and Molotov, and three women that were equally, impossibly huge--facing off against the NPC, who was taking cover behind an outcropping. Now and again he would try to work a shot around the stone’s edge, but the androids shot him every time he tried. His clothes showed several thirium-stained holes already. He looked furious, and trapped.

 

Alice looked from the group to the NPC, brow furrowing. Then she glanced around at her ledge, which was far from the shootout and very safe. Even if someone did try to hurt her, she’d see them coming. 

 

She crouched low, out of view, calling up her rifle. For a moment she raised it to sight down at the NPC. She had a good angle.

 

Then she moved to aim it at the players that were shooting at him. She had an even better angle. Letting out a slow, shaky breath, she shot the first one. The hit clipped his shoulder, but it was enough, and he went down like a bag of rocks. She wiggled a little further away from the ledge as the players shouted and looked wildly around, and after a few seconds she shot another one. They started moving to get behind different cover, and the NPC took full advantage, shooting the last three in a rush. All at once the mountainside was quiet. 

 

The NPC climbed out from behind the rock, looking directly up at her. Alice looked back for a few seconds, before putting her rifle away and searching for a way down.

 

By the time she reached him the bodies had disappeared, and the NPC was sorting through the spoils he’d stolen from their pockets. He stored the last bottle in a belt-pouch, scowling at her.

 

“I hope you’re not expecting a ‘thank you’. You do realize they saw you, don’t you?”

 

… No, she hadn’t. Alice winced, hoping they wouldn’t hold a grudge.

 

He sneered as though he read her mind. “Those were SQ800s. They have a pack mentality; of  _ course _ they’re going to remember. You’d have to be a fool to think otherwise.” He lifted an eyebrow, making it clear that he knew she had.

 

She swallowed hard, then shook her head a little. She needed to deal with that, but  _ later _ . For now...

 

“... Y-you…” His eyes narrowed, and she paused, but he didn’t interrupt. “... W-we still have a d-deal, and…” 

 

Stormclouds gathered in his expression, and he strode towards her, coat flowing ominously in his wake. “There it is,” he said silkily. “Are you  _ finally _ going to collect, you miserable--” He broke off when she flinched, rifle jerking inwards as if to ward off a blow. “... What is it  _ now _ ?”

 

It was pathetic, because he hadn’t even done anything, and already her knees felt like jelly. “I… I-I don’t m-mean--I mean... if you d-do something for me, something n-not dying, I’ll... we’ll b-be--we’ll be even...”

 

“You want to  _ change _ the deal.” the NPC demanded, eyes drilling into her. “Change it to  _ what _ ?”

 

Alice sucked in a breath, even though she knew she didn’t need it. “Y-you… you know how to shoot, and…”

 

He tilted his head incredulously. “... You want me to shoot someone? Are we back to the  _ original _ deal?”

 

Alice shook her head. Spitting it out shouldn’t be this hard. “... T-teach me?” she said, and the words were so soft they sounded like dry leaves brushing against each other.

 

He pulled up short, staring. The bare span of rocks around them was a bubble of silence, nervewracking while trees rustled and birds cawed in the distance. Up close, the world held its breath.

 

“...  _ Teach _ you.” he finally said. “You already know how to point your rifle and fire it.”

 

Alice shook her head, frowning unhappily. “I keep getting eaten,” she whispered. “A-and… and we don’t have a rifle outside of…” There was nothing outside of the game, nothing except for the little handheld gun that Kara kept hidden. One she couldn’t practice on. Unbidden, her eyes dropped to the holsters at the NPC’s sides.

 

He pulled his coat over them, sharp and scandalized. “Absolutely  _ not _ !” he squawked. “These are  _ mine _ . The whole idea is preposterous--do you really think a single lesson would do anything for your abysmal shooting? You stand like someone installed two left legs, your situational awareness is terrible enough to walk right into a wolf’s mouth, and you could miss a wall from two feet away. That doesn’t even begin to address the problems with transferring skills from an offensively simplified world like this to real experiences!”

 

She should have known it was a terrible idea. From the start of the tirade Alice was hunching inwards, and by the end of it her head was bowed, accepting his judgments as fact. She  _ knew _ she wasn’t any good, otherwise she wouldn’t keep dying. And had she really been stupid enough to think she could learn to actually shoot from a video game? 

 

“More than that, why do you want  _ me _ to teach you?” he continued. “Find a PJ model, if you need a teacher. Or a human with no sense of gun safety, whatever you prefer.”

 

Alice shook her head slowly. “There aren’t any where I am,” she whispered. She knew Josh was a PJ model, but she wasn’t sure he knew how to shoot, and he was at Jericho anyway.

 

“I’m not a teacher,” the NPC told her firmly, folding his arms.

 

She shrugged and stared at the ground. “I just… wanted you to show me…”

 

“Just show you?” he repeated incredulously. “You really think that would be enough for you to learn anything?”

 

Alice shrugged again, helplessly. An example she could imitate was more than she already had, and at this point anything was a start.

 

“All you want is for someone to show you,” he repeated, as though her goal might have changed over the last few seconds. When her eyes flicked to his holsters, he made a face. “ _ And _ to use one of my revolvers to try it yourself. And after that, our deal would be… completed.”

 

Alice nodded, lifting her gaze to meet his. His brow was furrowed, and his mouth was still twisted in displeasure, but his eyes were calculating. She couldn’t tell if this was good or not.

 

“I don’t know where else to start,” she mumbled. 

 

He said nothing in reply, and after a moment she shifted her weight from foot to foot, looking away. 

 

“... You don’t… you don’t need to if you…” He’d already told her no. She didn’t want to bother him.

 

He remained quiet, until  _ finally _ , he said, “Actual revolvers carry only six shots.” Alice blinked, frowning faintly. “ _ If  _ I gave you a lesson. Six shots. It would  _ only _ be six shots.” Alice looked up at him suddenly, a dumb, pitiful hope growing in her chest. He made a face like she’d spat up something on him instead, but didn’t back away.

 

“W… Will you…?” Alice asked.

 

“Six shots,” he repeated, like he was incredulous she hadn’t called the deal off. Or like he expected her to if he repeated it enough.

 

She nodded quickly, hope blooming like a giant flower in her chest. “That’s fine,” she murmured. “That’s not too little.”

 

He frowned at her for a few seconds more before nodding abruptly. “... Then let’s go.” He glanced around the rocky area, eyes lingering where the androids died, then turned and strode toward the path down the mountain. Alice returned her rifle to her inventory and hurried after.

 

They descended until they reached a scraggly patch of trees half-hidden amidst a hollow in the nearby rocks. The NPC scraped a rough bulls-eye on a trunk with a knife she hadn’t known he had. Then he led her to the far side of the area, drawing one of his revolvers.

 

He examined the revolver critically, frowning as he rolled out the part that held the ammunition. Then he put it back together, grasped it by the barrel, and reluctantly extended it to her. Alice reached out, and he jerked it back a little, enough that she paused.

 

“Copy  _ everything _ that I do,” he ordered. “My stance is perfect. Yours is rotten. If you imitate me well enough, maybe you’ll actually learn something.”

 

She nodded, and he handed her the revolver. Then he drew the other one, bringing it up with one hand to aim at the target. He frowned, jerked his head as though starting to look at her but deciding against it halfway, then adjusted to grip the revolver in both hands. 

 

The way he was standing seemed natural, and Alice wasn’t sure what he meant when he’d said ‘footwork’ earlier, but she lifted her own revolver, copying him inch for inch. First she used just one hand to hold it, then two. One foot was slightly ahead of the other, and--she studied him--his knees were bent slightly. She mimicked him accordingly.

 

He fired, hitting the target dead center. She squinted at the tree and lined up her shot very, very carefully. When she fired, the bullet grazed the trunk outside the target’s boundaries. It was worse than she could do with her rifle, but better than she’d done with Kara’s gun. Alice looked up at him immediately, and he was frowning at the target, lips pursed.

 

He didn’t look at her as he lowered the gun, holstering it. She lowered her arms too, and he drew the revolver again, bringing it up in a single movement that ended slightly different from before. Alice copied him again, and he fired. She fired. Her shot didn’t hit at all.

 

They continued on like this. Usually she hit the tree, and after he pointedly went through the motions of squeezing the trigger  _ slowly _ on the fifth shot, she hit the target’s edge. It didn’t seem like a lot, but it felt  _ better.  _ She’d hit the target. If she did what she’d done here with Kara’s gun…

 

Emboldened by her small success, Alice gave the NPC his revolver back, saying, “Is that what I should do with a real gun?”

 

He tucked the revolver away possessively, lifting an eyebrow at her. “Making plans already?”

 

Alice flushed. “No... “

 

He seemed poised to say something scathing in reply, but he bit whatever it was back, grimacing. “Recoil is different,” he said instead, keeping his sentences short and terse. “Some gun hammers may damage your hand. The weight is off too, but the recoil is the biggest difference.”

 

“... Can… can a real gun ever stop recoiling?” she asked hesitantly.

 

He gave her a look that made her feel all of two centimeters tall. “Of  _ course _ not. It’s intrinsic to the explosion of the charge.”

 

She nodded quickly, glancing down. He checked his revolvers again, then straightened his coat before turning to her. 

 

“Our agreement is complete.” 

 

She looked up, then bobbed her head, softly saying, “Yes. Thank you.”

 

He sneered, but rather than reply he turned on his heel striding towards the rocky area’s opening.

 

Another question occurred to her, and her mouth was open before she thought twice. “H-hey…” He stopped and scowled at her, and she winced. Still--she was curious, and it  _ probably _ wouldn’t hurt to ask. “... H-how… how do you know about… real… guns?”

 

His expression blanked. When he didn’t answer right away she bit her lip, worrying that maybe she’d crossed a line she hadn’t known was there. Instead of exploding, he finally flashed her an odd, blank little smile, saying, “The game developers wrote the knowledge into me, obviously.”

 

That made sense. But it looked like there was... more to it? Before she could ask anything further, he turned away, disappearing behind a rocky outcropping.

 

… Well. She’d learned something. Now she just had to figure out a way to use it. Maybe she could find an old toy gun somewhere in Pirate’s Cove and practice? … Maybe she could use elements of the NPC’s stance while shooting her rifle? 

 

There was only one way to find out.

 

\---


	6. Student

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I've got some huge RL changes coming up soon (good ones, don't worry), so the next couple of updates _may_ have some variation in posting time. If something shows up a day or so late, you now know why!

\---

 

There was a gun prop in the haunted house she helped Luther clear out. A line appeared between his eyebrows when Alice examined it, so she carefully put it back down. When Luther’s back was turned she stuffed it into the lining of her puffy vest, and later hid it in the back of a kitchen drawer to take out and practice with in private. She didn’t want to worry anyone, but… she  _ really  _ didn’t want to be useless. A single afternoon shooting with Kara hadn’t fixed that.

 

Kara brought Alice and Luther to a big meeting with two Jerrys and several other androids Alice had seen coordinating things around Pirate’s Cove. They stood around a map of the amusement park and talked. Together, they made plans for who would close the gates if it looked like humans were attacking. For where people would go if there was a fire, and what they could try to do to stop one. Alice and Luther didn’t say much, but they listened.

 

Eventually the meeting moved on to how much longer they could keep accepting new androids, and where they would send people once they were full. Kara gave Luther and Alice a significant look, and after a moment’s silent communication, Luther nodded, gently guiding Alice out. She was fine with this; the emergency planning had been interesting, but a lot of it was also boring. The new conversation seemed even more so.

 

The next time she logged on to Oregon Trail, the NPC sent her a message. 

 

‘ _ I need to reach the Chimney Rock download point. In exchange, I would show you how to shoot your rifle more efficiently.’ _

 

Alice blinked, eyes wide. She--she wanted that. She really wanted that. Was it worth it to deal with him?

 

‘ _ Okay _ .’ She touched her LED, teleporting to Chimney Rock.

 

She appeared at the foot of a big rocky hill with a spire extending from its top. There were other players milling around: some trading, others organizing what looked like a small hunting expedition. 

 

_ Connor would like to meet up with you. Accept? [Y/N] _

 

She looked around at the other players, but it didn’t seem like they were going anywhere. Did it matter? Probably no one would care.

 

_ [Y]. _

 

The NPC appeared in a glittering of polygons, arms folded impatiently. Then he glanced around, saw how populated the area was, and unfolded his arms with a hurried, quiet curse. Immediately he took off his coat, leaving himself in dark pants and a white button up shirt. Next he took off his hat. He was a lot less recognizably villainous, but the coat and hat were still conspicuous draped over his arm, and his holsters were visible. She wondered why he didn’t put anything in his inventory. Did he have one at all?

 

“Are you  _ trying _ to get us mobbed?” he hissed crossly.

 

“Sorry,” Alice whispered. She hadn’t thought they would draw attention, but the NPC was looking off to the side, and when she followed his gaze, she saw a few players starting to eye them.

 

“Come on…” the NPC muttered, leading the two of them away from the road. There were fewer players this way, though they still passed one or two coming the opposite direction.

 

They climbed the steep hill and found the download point in the spire’s shade. The NPC folded his coat up, set it down, and rested his hat on it neatly, before pressing his hands against the stone. He stayed that way for a few seconds, frowning intently, before  _ something _ in the air shifted. He pulled away, opening and closing his hands while Alice frowned, trying to identify the difference.

 

“... What are you doing at these?” she asked softly.

 

He gave her a tight smile. “Nothing you have to worry about.”

 

Alice frowned, considering asking again, when he looked past her, smile dropping. “... Wonderful.” 

 

Alice turned to find the androids that’d been watching them from the road. There were four of them, all with their rifles drawn. They’d fanned out to corner Alice and the NPC against the download point.

 

“Are you the Ashwood Hunter?” the closest android demanded.

 

“ _ Obviously _ not,” the NPC drawled. “Does this look like the Ashwood Forest to you?” He motioned at the rock face behind them.

 

“People say he leaves the forest all the time,” someone else called back. “And you look like him.”

 

“I’m Connor, the Deviant Hunter,” he replied, smiling blandly. “We have a strong likeness, this wouldn’t be the first time someone’s made the mistake.”

 

The androids exchanged glances, before the first one yelled, “You’re an NPC! You have no LED, your stats show up red, and you’re obviously not a player. You’re the Hunter!”

 

The NPC lifted his hands slowly. “There’s more than one NPC with my face.”

 

“Liar! Let’s go, kill him--”

 

What happened next was over so quickly that Alice barely had time to squeak and cover her ears. The NPC snatched a revolver from a holster and fanned a hand over it--and faster than she could follow he’d shot all four androids. They crumpled with startled cries, and the NPC waited a moment, looking for anyone hidden in reserve. When no one appeared he reholstered his weapon, stepping forward towards the bodies.

 

Alice looked around too, then stepped up beside him, watching him sort through their pockets.

 

“... Sorry,” she murmured.

 

He stopped, scowling up at her. “Don’t apologize.” 

 

Alice opened her mouth, feeling like she should apologize again, but caught herself. She said nothing. The NPC finished with the spoils, carrying what hadn’t fit in his belt pouches over to the pockets of his coat. He put the coat back on, and the hat.

 

“Well?” he said, turning back to her. He looked more familiar this way. More put-together.

 

She reached for her LED, then paused, finger less than a centimeter away.

 

“Do…”

 

Immediately she thought better of the question, but by then he was already watching her. She kicked herself mentally, but forced herself to continue.

 

“Do you… go by ‘Ashwood Hunter?’” It’s what the players had called him. Then again, his meeting requests didn’t use that.

 

He pursed his lips, eyes flashing with annoyance. “No. That’s not even a name, just a cheap title based on coincidence. I already told you, I  _ have _ a name. It’s  _ Connor _ .”

 

She frowned, gaze dropping to the rock beside him.

 

“That’s… a-already…”

 

“If you’re going to tell me again that my name belongs to someone else,  _ stop _ ,” he snapped. His hand cut sharply through the air, and Alice froze, but it stopped on his own chest, tapping with two fingers. “It’s my name.  _ Mine _ . If there’s another travesty of a Deviant Hunter still active, it doesn’t make a difference. He’ll be dealt with eventually. Understand?”

 

She bobbed her head quickly. Unwilling to push further, she touched her LED, going back to the forest. A few seconds later... ‘Connor’ followed.

 

\---

 

They skirted the forest’s edge for a little while before the NPC--before  _ Connor _ drew his knife and made another target. They moved away, she passed him her rifle, and he fired it almost too quickly to track. Alice took the rifle back and mimicked him, but he made a low sound of annoyance.

 

“Not like that. Like  _ this _ .” He demonstrated with an invisible rifle, and she twisted to face the tree more squarely. “Now move your support hand--there.”

 

It was an unfamiliar stance, but she followed his instructions as best she could. When he told her to take a few steps and shoot, it was easier to get into position, and easier to control. She fired five times, six times--and then kept shooting. He didn’t tell her to stop. 

 

Finally she lowered the rifle, tired more from the extended concentration than from any physical fatigue. A chorus of wolf howls went up deeper in the forest, and she and Connor both looked at the trees.

 

“Practice more,” he ordered dismissively. Without another word he stalked into the woods, disappearing easily among the shadows with his dark coat and hat. Alice squinted after him, wondering if that had just concluded their lesson, and if she should leave. She  _ was _ tired…

 

After a few moments she lifted her rifle and continued to practice.

 

Nearly ten minutes later she heard snarling and yipping. She spun to face the trees with a frown, wondering if she should back further away.

 

It turned out to be unnecessary, but not for any reason she might have expected. It was just one wolf, a comparatively smallish one--only as long as the-- as  _ Connor _ was tall. She was able to make this comparison because he was  _ carrying it along _ by its scruff, despite its constant attempts to bite him. Connor’s jaws were clenched, and whenever snapping teeth or long-nailed paws swiped too close he shook the wolf roughly, making it yip and whine.

 

“Show me your stance,” he ordered as he came closer. She stared wide-eyed for a moment, then scrambled to bring up her rifle and aim at the tree. He looked pained, tilting his head a little before sighing. “... That’ll have to be good enough. Here--try it on a moving target.” And then he took the wolf in both hands and  _ threw it towards her _ . 

 

It landed on its side some dozen feet away, but it was already over six feet from the tip of its snout to the tip of its tail, and it didn’t seem far enough at all. She almost dropped her rifle in her panic, and with a huge flailing of paws and limbs the wolf rolled to its feet. She was going to get eaten, she was going to fail this crazy test that’d come out at her from nowhere, she was going to miss--

 

Alice brought up the rifle, squared her stance like he’d shown her, and fired. The shot caught the wolf in mid-bound, cutting off its snarl with another yelp, and it collapsed on the spot.

 

She’d  _ shot _ it. This wasn’t the first time she’d ever killed a wolf, but it  _ was _ the first time she’d ever done so this quickly, or this close.

 

“If you’d missed, I would have shot you both,” the NPC announced crossly. She stared up at him, then down at the wolf, still amazed despite the circumstances. As she watched, the wolf turned into a pile of materials, nestled around a clean wolf skull. She blinked at them.

 

… Connor was still watching her, waiting. Alice blinked at him too, before giving a soft ‘Oh’, putting her rifle away, and collecting her spoils. It was mostly basic supplies: some water vials and a few biocomponents. Soon all that was left was the skull. She picked it up, turning it around in her hands.

 

“Skulls are useless,” he informed her.

 

He was probably right. Still, Alice liked the skull. She searched her inventory before coming up with a length of twine, which she threaded through a convenient hole in the skull’s back.

 

“... What are you  _ doing _ ?” he asked, baffled. 

 

She hesitated, glancing past to where he stood. After a few seconds, she slowly looped the twine over one shoulder, settling the skull at her side like a purse.

 

Connor stared at her. She looked away, resting a hand on the skull self-consciously. It was cool and smooth to the touch, and she patted it once or twice like she would have her stuffed fox.

 

He was still watching, but when she glanced again he seemed less bewildered. He looked from her to the skull before sighing, grimacing off to the side. “... Pointless,” he muttered. He was probably right, but Connor said that sort of thing about everything. She didn’t take it as personally as she might have before.

 

He fingered the brim of his hat, looking back at the target. “Your shooting has improved. Is our agreement complete?”

 

She nodded quickly. “Yes… thank you.”

 

He made a face, waving the thanks away. “It was an exchange of services.” With that, he turned and started for the trees.

 

“Bye,” she said softly, unsure if he even heard her. He didn’t turn or reply.

 

Soon he was gone.

 

\----

 

Things hadn’t been easy since coming to Pirate’s Cove, but at least they were peaceful. Pirate’s Cove was safe.

 

It was why Alice could wander anywhere, even with Kara in a meeting and Luther with a patient. No android in Pirate’s Cove was going to hurt her, and no human knew they existed. 

 

Her fake revolver was in her vest, and she was finally in a part of the park that no one frequented very often. There were too many broken things. It was out of the way. 

 

Alice checked around her just in case, lingering in front of a big wooden cut-out of a pirate. There was no one to see. She drew her fake revolver and lined it up, assuming the exact stance she’d been drilled on exhaustively. The trigger didn’t move when she pulled it, so she mentally provided the click and gunshot.

 

… It was a lot more boring to practice with a gun that didn’t shoot. She continued anyway. She  _ would _ be useful.

 

When she’d set out for this corner of the park, snow had been falling in a light powder, just enough to make things both pretty and hard to see. By the time she was finishing practice, the snow had stopped, leaving a thin coating of white around her. She ignored it, distracted by trying to twirl the revolver. It was easy to start, but also easy to drop. She was in the middle of picking the gun up for the third time when she noticed... There. An android, walking across the open area between the rides, looking around. 

 

Alice quickly stuffed her gun back in her vest, trying not to look guilty. Had she been seen? This wasn’t a real gun, but Alice hadn’t even told Kara she was practicing with a fake one. She didn’t want to get into trouble.

 

He showed no sign of noticing, but something in her gut turned heavy and uneasy as she watched. She found herself going still, like a mouse hiding in a patch of grass. It was… his posture? He moved unsteadily, but not as if he were injured. He was looking around, but not focusing on anything nearby.

 

Maybe he was… hurt? Half of his visible skin showed bare exoskeleton, as though he’d been damaged, and the other half was grey and patchy. She’d seen injured androids before, though, particularly at Jericho. Something was  _ off _ .

 

… Should she call someone? She flushed at the thought. What would she say--that there was an android walking around in Pirate’s Cove, and he was making her scared? Even just thinking about it made her feel like an idiot. Alice turned away a little, slipping the gun back out and spinning it again.

 

The motion was enough to attract attention: his head snapped towards her, and he went as still as a hound spotting a hare. Alice paused at the sudden change, and when he broke into an unsteady sprint, fear flooded through her. She stumbled away, then sped up into a run, flitting between signs and broken fences. For a few seconds she had the advantage.

 

It didn’t last. Like everyone, he was bigger than her, and soon she heard his footsteps pounding the ground just behind her. Dread leached through her circuits, and she did her best to escape, looking for blind corners to lose him behind. It didn’t feel like enough, and she fought not to cry: that android in Oregon Trail had been right, she wasn't even good at running. She couldn’t even get away--

 

She turned another corner and almost ran into a familiar android. Jerry jumped, then smiled kindly at her. “Oh, hello Alice!”

 

Alice was surprised enough that she almost fell. She caught herself, staggering past him a few feet. She needed to warn him. She didn’t know how, but she needed to make him understand that there was danger, and that he needed to run.

 

“Th--there’s…” Alice started, glancing anxiously at the corner. Jerry frowned in concern, turning to properly face her.

 

Alice might have stopped, but her pursuer hadn’t. As she struggled to talk, the android burst around the corner and plowed into Jerry like a train. Jerry hit the ground with a ‘ _ crack!’ _ , and his attacker pressed skinless hands against his shirt, against the back of his neck. Alice’s joints felt like jelly. She could barely stand from terror, and she froze, watching as Jerry stirred weakly. Then--

 

Then he was  _ screaming _ , kicking and thrashing as though the android on top of him was on fire. Alice  _ was _ crying now, hugging herself. Panicking. The android was  _ hurting _ him. He was hurting Jerry, and Jerry was screaming, and Alice should’ve warned him faster. Saying anything to  _ anyone _ would’ve been better than just distracting him. She’d stuttered; she’d been  _ useless _ .

 

Alice sent a message, ‘ _ Kara, help!’ _ Then she sent it again, and another one to Luther, fighting to push herself into motion. To  _ do _ anything.

 

“... S-stop…” she rasped. Jerry was still screaming. She wasn’t even audible. “Stop it…”

 

She should be running. She should be fighting the android off of Jerry, rescuing him like a hero. Kara and Luther were replying, but Alice couldn’t move. She couldn’t answer. She had no words.

 

Jerry’s thrashing increased to a frenzy, and all of a sudden he slammed his head against the ground. The android on top of him jumped, and Jerry smashed it down again, and was going to do so a third time when the android caught him by the hair, holding him still. Jerry shuddered, then went utterly, terrifyingly limp. There was something wrong with Jerry’s skin: it was rippling and fading, even bare in patches like his attacker’s. The android let him go and rose to his feet.

 

He looked back to Alice. Alice wanted to evaporate into thin air, but she couldn’t. Unless she got out of there  _ fast _ , she was going to be screaming like Jerry soon.

 

He took a step towards her. Then another. In another moment, he would reach her, and then it would all be over. 

 

It felt like the air had turned to honey, and she had to force through it to move at all: she took the fake gun out of her jacket and flung it at his face as hard as she could. Then she turned on her heel and  _ ran _ .

 

She hadn’t stayed for his reaction, but she heard a stream of static, mixed with broken fragments of a monotone voice. It spurred her on even faster. As she ran she sent more messages. She told Kara and Luther where she was. She told them she was being chased by an evil android.

 

‘ _ Evil android?!’  _ Kara repeated. Then, in a reaction Alice would be sure to thank her for afterwards if she lived, Kara just accepted it. ‘ _ You need to get somewhere safe. Go to the restaurant.’ _

 

Luther was in the conversation, and he interjected, ‘ _ We are coming now, Alice. Hold on.’ _

 

It was easy to  _ say _ ‘go to the restaurant’, but it was another thing entirely to try to outrun someone whose legs were at least half again as long as hers. Alice used her size to her advantage, darting through narrow spaces and swinging around more sharp corners. Still, she wasn’t used to running alone, and her tears were making it hard to see. She gained a little distance, but couldn’t lose him entirely.

 

Suddenly they were out in the open. There were other androids here, friendly ones, and for a moment Alice spared a horrified thought to the idea that the evil android would try to hurt them. 

 

“R-Run…” she gasped at the androids she passed. “H… he’s coming…”

 

There was the sound of an impact behind her, followed by angry shouting. Scuffling, fighting-- _ then _ screaming, and Alice couldn’t help but look back. The android had pushed down a man in a yellow jacket, and man was thrashing, just like Jerry--

 

Alice hadn’t stopped running, but she also hadn’t looked where she was going. She plowed headfirst into someone carrying an armful of wooden boards. Both Alice and the woman cried out... and the screams stopped. Alice climbed off the pile of wood and tangled limbs and looked back, and  _ oh no _ . His eyes were on her, and he was pushing his way through increasingly agitated bystanders. He wanted  _ her. _ She must’ve made him mad.

 

Alice sobbed breathlessly, forcing herself back to her feet and into a sprint. The restaurant was coming up ahead, and once she reached it she would be safe. Only a street away.

 

Half the street.

 

She was on the front steps.  _ There _ \--Alice burst in the front door and into the main room. It was empty and exactly as she’d left it. Huge footsteps hit the stairs behind her, and air froze in her lungs, because  _ she wasn’t safe _ . With no time to think, Alice dove towards the chair fort along the far wall, wriggling out of reach just in time for the door to slam open behind her, bouncing off the far wall.

 

She kicked a chair as she wormed further towards safety, and heavy footsteps made their way to the outside of her fort. Alice reached the corner, curling up under a table in the tiniest ball she could make. She looked out: the android was staring back at her, eyes unnaturally dark even across the whites of his optical units. There was a shadow across one cheek where she’d thrown her gun at him earlier, and despite his aggressive pursuit, his face was emotionless. Alice shivered, wanting and not wanting to look away.

 

The android grabbed at the fort’s structure, tearing chairs away. With a stab of panic, Alice realized she was only going to last as long as the fort did. He ripped out more chairs, and she screamed. She pushed back into the corner and screamed again, and he was getting  _ so close _ , and--

 

\--Like an avenging angel, a huge figure slammed into the android’s side, tearing him away. Luther threw the android to the ground, but her attacker scrambled up immediately, snarling like an animal. Luther didn’t bother responding, swinging a giant fist at his skull.

 

“ _ Alice! _ ” Kara cried out, suddenly close. Alice jumped: Kara was reaching through the chairs towards her, crouched where the fort was most damaged. “Alice, come out now, we need to get out of the way--”

 

Except just then there was a heavy impact, followed by a brief, horrible instant of silence. Then  _ Luther _ roared in pain, a thunderous sound that filled the room and echoed in Alice’s head and battered against her like dozens of tiny little hammers. Kara turned, looking back in panic. She gave Alice a frantic, conflicted look, before yelling, “Get out, go somewhere safe!” Then she pried a chair loose from the fort, rushing the android.

 

_ He was hurting Luther, he was hurting…  Luther _ … 

 

Kara--Kara would save him. Alice scrambled from the fort’s remains, tearing her leggings on a splintered chair. Luther’s bellows were so horrible she couldn’t hear herself think, let alone whimper. Kara swung at the android, the screaming broke off, and Alice pushed herself shakily upright, staggering for the door...

 

She had just reached it when  _ Kara _ began to scream.

 

Kara. Strong Kara, who had a solution to everything. Kara, who was going to save Luther. Who had saved  _ her _ . Luther was stirring weakly, but seemed unable to get up. Alice needed them to save her, but they needed someone to save them first. Someone who could stop the android...

 

… Alice’s eyes went to the wall paneling by her fort. 

 

She pivoted and ran past the android. He twitched,  but stayed where he was, intent on Kara. Alice pried the paneling out of the way, seizing the gun stored there. She switched off its safety. Turned around. Shifted her stance, and leveled it at the android.

 

The gunfire was even louder than the screaming. The recoil almost wrenched the gun from her grip, but she held on tight, jaws clenched hard against the thunder and lightning in her hands.

 

Three shots to the back, and the android slumped, going immediately, rigidly still. There were holes from the bullets facing her, and as she watched they wept blue thirium, spilling onto the floor below. It was like Oregon Trail. But it was also completely different. This was  _ real _ . She’d just shot someone. She’d shot someone, and they’d died..

 

Kara scrambled back from the body, trembling violently. “Alice--” she gasped, dazed. “Alice, are you…”

 

“Alice,” Luther whispered, rolling over with what looked like a truly herculean effort. His skin was distorted, but intact. Kara… Kara was worse than Luther, but still not as bad as Jerry had been.

 

“I-I’m okay,” Alice whispered, walking up to them. 

 

“Oh… Oh thank goodness,” Kara breathed, smiling weakly. Luther said nothing, but drank in the sight of her. Alice returned her own weak, watery smile.

 

Kara’s smile faded. “What… what happened to…”

 

Before Alice could figure out how to answer, there were pounding footsteps on the restaurant’s porch, and the door burst open again. Five androids Alice vaguely recognized from Kara’s meetings barged in, carrying what Alice knew were the only other guns in Pirate’s Cove. 

 

“What happened?!” 

 

“Where is it?” 

 

“Is everyone okay?!” 

 

Alice flinched back from the questions, looking down and hiding the gun uselessly behind her back. She had no answer, and after a few seconds one android detached from the group to approach the dead android, nudging him--nudging  _ it _ with his boot.

 

“It’s over,” Kara whispered. “We--I took care of it. Alice...” Kara reached, and Alice hurried forward, dropping to the floor beside her and curling up close. Her gun was still held tightly in one hand, but now it was pressed between them. When she felt Kara tugging lightly at it, Alice let her take it. She was glad she’d had it, but she wasn’t sure she wanted to see it again.

 

“Kara… what happened?” asked an android, stuffing his gun through the waistband of his pants. “Are you… okay?”

 

“I’m fine,” Kara said. She blinked, and then turned her head so Alice wouldn’t see the tears. It was too late. “We’re all… fine…”

 

Alice turned her own face towards Kara’s shoulder, pressing as close as she could while Kara put an arm around her weakly. Alice trembled, but held on.

 

\---


	7. Family and Friends

\---

 

Things were better than they could have been. Kara and Luther both described the attack as a forced file transfer, something the android had been trying to install before being interrupted. Whatever it was had weakened them severely. After hours of rest they were able to stand and walk. But they tired easily, and soon had to sit back down.

 

Their skin was greyed in places, but it hadn’t actually receded like the android’s had. Like Jerry…

 

When the android had attacked the Jerry in front of Alice, every Jerry in Pirate’s Cove had dropped what they were doing and frozen in place. What affected one of them affected all--until the attacked Jerry had damaged himself trying to cut off the process. Now, half the Jerrys were damaged from the invasion, with patchy skin and dark eyes, while the other half were unsteady with shock, but physically unharmed. The attack hadn’t been complete, but it had left its mark.

 

None of the Jerrys were able to return to work. The damaged ones were eerily silent, and sometimes started walking, as if trying to go someplace.. Other Jerrys stopped them when it looked like they were trying to leave Pirate’s Cove. Eventually they all gathered into a building designated for their use when the park was still operational, where they huddled as though physical closeness could repair whatever had broken in their minds. They were a miserable sight.

 

Alice visited them, but it was painful to see the usually upbeat androids so heartbroken, and she left after only a short while.

 

The next day, Kara and Luther stayed home and helped Alice put the chairs back against the far wall. When they were done, Alice stepped back, looking at their work. She could see places to crawl inside again, and through the gaps she could see straight into her corner. This was what that android must have seen when he’d walked in. When he’d started...

 

Alice shivered, putting her arms around herself. She heard light footsteps come up behind her, and after a few seconds she was carefully drawn into Kara’s embrace.

 

“Alice…” Kara said softly. 

 

Alice turned her head a little, but didn’t lift her head. Kara guided her gently over to where her makeshift bed was, and together they sat down. Distantly Alice heard Luther stoking the wood in the fireplace.

 

“Alice,” Kara repeated, hesitating. She didn’t sound this uncertain very often, and the guilt Alice had been feeling since the day before got worse. 

 

Finally, Kara said, “... That was a very brave thing you did yesterday.”

 

The room was quiet enough that the fire’s soft crackling seemed very loud. Kara had never lied to her, but--could she really mean that? Alice had  _ shot _ someone, and she could barely think about it without crying, and… Reluctantly, she extricated herself from the hug, face turning up toward Kara’s.

 

Kara seemed sad. She tried to smile, but it wasn’t a very good smile, and after a moment she stopped.

 

“More than anything, I wish you hadn’t needed to do it. I’ve played it over and over in my head, trying to find some way we could have…” Kara looked past Alice. Alice followed her gaze, seeing Luther looking back at them. His brow was furrowed. He looked… sad, too.

 

Kara shook her head a little, looking back to her. “... We should have protected you.”

 

Alice shook her head a little. “You did…” she whispered. When she’d been trapped in her fort, and they’d arrived--they’d protected her.

 

“Alice…” Kara sighed. “... You saved us. But you shouldn’t have had to. And for that, I’m so, so sorry.  _ We’re _ sorry,” she added, glancing at Luther again.

 

Alice shook her head, glancing back and forth between them. “... Don’t… don’t be sorry,” she murmured. “You saved me. Then I... I s-saved you. I…  didn’t…” 

 

“Alice.. You shouldn’t have  _ had _ to save us,” Kara corrected gently. “We should have been there for you.”

 

Alice shook her head again. “No, I...” 

 

“Jerry told me what happened,” Kara said, and to Alice’s horror, her voice wavered. “He said… If you hadn’t run, if you’d hesitated for even just a  _ second _ , that android would’ve…”

 

Her eyes were filling with tears again, and  _ no _ . Kara was crying, and--and Alice didn’t know what to  _ do _ . She took Kara’s hand, squeezing it, and Kara swiped the tears from her eyes with her other hand. They refilled, and she looked away.

 

“Kara…” Alice said, in a tiny, tiny voice. 

 

“I’m sorry,” Kara said quickly. “I thought--Sorry, Alice. Just give me a moment…”

 

Alice pulled her in for a hug, tears spilling down her own face, and Kara hugged back as tightly as she could. Her grip wasn’t as strong as usual, and that  _ hurt _ to think of. The android had hurt them so badly.

 

“Alice,” Luther rumbled quietly. She and Kara didn’t break apart, but Alice turned her head to look at him, and Kara smoothed her hair. He was watching them, and he still looked sad, but--not just sad. Serious. … Kind.

 

“... What Kara said is true. You should never have needed to handle that, and we will do everything we can to make sure it never happens again.”

 

It was a lot, from a man who usually spoke so little. It also wasn’t fair, and Alice shook her head against Kara. It wasn’t their  _ fault _ .

 

“But,” Luther continued. “ _ Thank you _ .” He paused, giving Alice a solid three seconds to stare at him. “We are not worth putting your life in danger. But from the moment I met you… your courage shines from within, Alice.”

 

Alice’s chin was wobbling, and tears streamed down her face. She’d been… brave. Kara had said it, but Luther… Luther wasn’t  _ blaming _ himself. He was sad, but--she’d tried so hard to do something important, and to do something good, and…

 

“Thank you, Alice,” Kara whispered into her hair, and--that was it. Alice broke a little, and her face crumbled. She squeezed Kara harder, and Kara rocked her gently, shushing her under the sound of her tears.

 

Luther’s lips curved up very slightly. “We would prefer that you run. But we are honored that you saved us. That you call us family.”

 

Alice cried harder. Kara kissed the top of her head, and after a few seconds she held an arm out to Luther. Trembling from the force of her tears, Alice extended a hand towards him, too.

 

Luther left his seat by the fireplace. Carefully, he joined them.

 

\---

 

It couldn’t last forever. Alice’s tears dried, and Luther returned to poking at the fire. Eventually someone came to ask Kara questions. Before that person finished, another person arrived, and soon there was a whole meeting happening in the restaurant’s main room. Alice and Luther stayed by Alice’s fort, until an android came in with news of an urgent injury. Luther carefully steered himself towards the kitchen to receive them, and Alice crawled into the damaged fort, hiding from the world. 

 

She listened to the meeting set up a new guard system. They talked about the android that attacked. About what it meant, and ways to handle another one.

 

Alice listened for a little while longer, before fleeing to Oregon Trail.

 

\---

 

Alice went to the forest. She wanted to tell the NPC what happened. She wanted to tell him about the android, about the gun, about the way she’d shifted her stance, and...

 

...

 

Alice was attacked by a bear before she got to the cabin. She took out her rifle, then flinched, freezing.  _ Stupid _ . The bear ate her just as she started bringing her rifle up properly, and she started from the forest’s edge again.

 

Wolves found her next. Alice dove to the side to avoid one, then spun and shot it. Another one jumped up from behind, and Alice barely managed to clip (and successfully kill) it before she was forced to run. There were too many.  She braced for another death.

 

A rifle fired, catching the nearest wolf in the side of the head. More shots took out the rest of the group, and Alice stopped running, turning around. Three familiar, giant androids came out from the trees, and her lips curved up... then down. They’d saved her. Was she happy to see them?

 

“Hello, Alice,” said Bravo calmly.  

 

He had none of his old enthusiasm, and her frown lingered. She should say something, but--she also didn’t really want to talk with them. Unable to leave without some kind of answer, she dipped her head, looking away.

 

Peripherally, she noticed them exchanging glances.

 

“You look a little pissed off with us,” Bravo observed tonelessly. ‘Pissed off’?  _ Did _ Alice look angry? The bottom dropped out from her stomach, and she looked back up at them, not wanting to engage but even more reluctant to turn her back. People misreading what she felt or meant was  _ never _ a good sign. 

 

Bravo lifted an eyebrow at her attention. “Are you still mad about the things we said last time?”

 

_ What?  _ Alice licked her lips, before slowly shaking her head. “I’m… I-I’m not mad…” she whispered.

 

“You don’t look happy to see us,” Ike challenged, stepping forward. 

 

She put her arms around herself and looked away, half expecting them to carry on into a tirade. Instead there was silence, and she had to answer. It was hard to find her voice.

 

“I-I’m… sad…” 

 

They exchanged glances again. Then Ike snorted. “ _ Sad _ ? How is any of  _ this _ sad?” he demanded, waving at her.

 

She didn’t understand what he meant, but the incredulity was clear. She shook her head slowly.

 

“I-I…” She’d  _ shot _ someone. “M-my… my parents are hurt..."

 

Finally, finally Bravo’s expression loosened to something softer. “Hurt how?” he asked.

 

Alice turned towards him. “A-an android… an android attacked Pirate’s Cove…”

 

His voice hardened, and she tensed, but... it didn’t  _ sound _ like he was angry at her. “Describe them.” 

 

Stammering and almost voiceless, she did. It was hard to put some things into words, but the basics were simple enough. Damaged skin. All-black eyes. Broken voice. By the time she finished, a ripple of motion had spread through the androids, and she could see their LEDs blinking yellow as they sent messages amongst themselves.

 

“ _ Humans,” _ Ike hissed angrily. Alice glanced at him and then away, unwilling to even try to correct him. He went on, “Humans did this. They’re dusting off their old anti-android measures and pretending they’re ‘new’.”

 

...What?

 

Bravo stepped towards her. He was still massive, but he didn’t seem like he was  _ trying _ to be threatening. “Listen,” he said seriously. “You, your parents... You should all come to the North Pole. We’ve been working on cures for viruses like this, ever since we first started hearing the rumors.”

 

Alice’s gaze jerked upward. “... Cures?”

 

There was a significant pause. Bravo’s LED was a steadily pulsing yellow. “Did the infection spread in your base?” Bravo asked quietly. 

 

Alice thought about her parents, then thought about all the Jerrys with missing skin and lightless eyes. She nodded.

 

Bravo kneeled in front of her, frowning. “We can help,” he promised her. “If you come to us, we can fix whoever it is the humans broke.”

 

_ They could make cures _ . They could fix this. The Jerrys. Kara and Luther, too weak to so much as walk quickly… Except--Alice bit her lip.

 

“T-too far away....” she whispered.

 

“Where are you?” Molotov said suddenly, speaking for the first time.

 

“D-Detroit,” Alice murmured.

 

He grunted. “Go to Selfridge. It should be ours, soon.” Then he smiled, and the expression was shark-like. She rubbed her arms, looking away.

 

Kara and Luther might not be able to make it out of the park easily, let alone to wherever Selfridge was. “... C-can’t we do it… remotely?” she asked shakily.

 

Ike shook his head sharply, folding his arms. “Not possible. We’d need to see them, and… Well--these resources are only for androids that’ve joined up”

 

That…  wasn’t what she’d been expecting. Alice’s brow furrowed. “... C-can you make a cure w-without us… j-joining?”

 

Bravo shook his head, looking vaguely sympathetic. “Sorry. No exceptions.”

 

… She was stuck. Kara, Luther, and Jerry all needed a cure, but none of them were fighters. She wasn’t sure she liked fighting either, despite how hard she’d been trying to learn. 

 

“M-maybe…” Alice started, grimacing at herself. “M-maybe we could join f-for… o-only a little while? J-just until… ”

 

This was apparently  _ not _ the thing to say. The androids twitched with immediate, knee-jerk displays of disgust. Bravo stood abruptly, stepping back.

 

“You sound like a  _ deserter _ ,” Ike snarled. “You think this ends soon for the rest of us? You think any of us can just join, take everything we can, then run back to our little hidey holes” He sliced a hand through the air, glaring. “No. Anyone who signs on is fucking in until  _ all _ of us are free, and the humans will damn well never hurt our kind again.”

 

“I-I’m sorry,” Alice croaked, shying away. “I’m sorry.”

 

“Jesus, I knew you were a slimy little brat, but I didn’t think you were that low!”

 

“I-I’m sorry!” 

 

“It’s just as fucking well you’re not interested!” Ike thrust a finger toward her. “You don’t fucking care about your parents enough to save them. You just want to  _ take _ ...  What makes you so different from those worthless human leeches living off machine labor?”

 

She was terrified, yes. He was gigantic, intimidating, and so horribly angry. At the same time, Alicee felt a stab of something she hadn’t expected: she was  _ mad _ . She cared about Kara and Luther more than anything. How could he say she didn’t? He was the one withholding this cure. 

 

“Ike…” Bravo murmured.

 

“Shut the fuck up, Bravo. Come on, brat--” Ike cocked his rifle, glaring. “Enough about your own bullshit. You’re going to tell us everything you know about that stupid-ass Ashwood Hunter boss.”

 

“Ike,” Bravo protested.

 

“Making  _ nice _ won’t do a damn thing! … Listen, if you don’t tell us, we’re going to shoot you. Then we’ll follow you around, shoot you every five minutes, and ruin everything you do until you tell us.”

 

Alice shrank back, hugging herself. She wanted to cry, she wanted to teleport away and never leave the farm part of the game again. They wouldn’t find her there, would they?

 

What if they did?

 

… She wanted to shoot them. Part of her flinched, but--but this was a  _ game _ . They could die here and be fine. She wasn’t good enough to actually get them, not here or now, but if she could...

 

“Come  _ on _ ,” Ike spat, striding forward suddenly. Alice staggered back, but he didn’t stop. “Where does anyone find this guy? What are you doing with him? Why do you show up whenever he does? Are you helping him? … Is he helping  _ you _ , you useless garbage?” He pushed her. She fell hard, hearing a loud  _ crack _ ! She looked down, and then bit her lip, holding back a little scream. Her leg was broken; it didn’t hurt, but it looked  _ awful _ .

 

She hated them  _ so much _ . This wasn’t  _ fair. _

 

She opened a message prompt, then paused, staring at the canopy past Ike. Was this a good idea? Ike strode forward. She stopped deliberating and sent: ‘ _ If you shoot the androids around me, I’ll take you anywhere you want to go.’  _

 

She sent it, and Ike jabbed her in the forehead with the barrel of his rifle, sneering. “Well?”

 

‘ _ How many are there?’  _ came the reply.

 

Alice told him. He sent a meeting request, and she accepted immediately.

 

Connor appeared a few feet off to the side, revolvers drawn. The enormous androids turned and raised their rifles, but by then he was already shooting. In an instant all three were dead.

 

Alice sniffled hard and scrubbed her face on her sleeve. The bodies were still, with wounds facing her, but after a moment she blinked away three bullet holes in Ike’s chest and saw only one. Alice shook her head: Bravo, Ike, and Molotov were fine. They would respawn and bother someone else for a while.

 

“What happened?”

 

The question was curt, and when she looked up, Connor’s face was hard, with a line between his eyebrows. In spite of this, she didn’t feel unsafe: he wasn’t mad at her.

 

She shook her head a little, shrugging. “Th-they…” Her leg was still broken. She chewed on her lip, before reluctantly putting her hands on her ankle, pulling the limb straight. It crunched and popped, and she wanted to gag. This was  _ awful _ .

 

“You’re terrible enough at playing that you’ve undoubtedly been injured before,” he pointed out. “You’re not even experiencing pain here. What did they say that set you blubbering?”

 

Her leg was straight now. She opened up her inventory, hanging in a list to the side that only she could see.

 

“They were being mean,” Alice mumbled, unable to meet his gaze. Connor was going to think she was stupid. He always did.

 

He didn’t disappoint, grimacing. “Yes, that much was  _ obvious _ ,” he snapped. He turned towards the bodies. “Fine. If you’re not going to tell me something I don’t know, then fix your leg. You need to take me to Fort Boise’s download point.”

 

Alice sniffled, a strange part of her wishing that she’d told him everything. It was too late now: he’d begun going through the bodies’ pockets, pointedly turning his back on her. One corpse disappeared while he was in the middle of searching it, and he muttered a curse.  

 

Alice found the right biocomponents in her inventory, used them, then stood, testing her leg carefully. The repair held. By then Connor had finished and was waiting a few feet away, twirling a gun idly.

 

She closed her eyes and teleported to Fort Boise. The fort was a big, square-ish town with flat walls hemming it in. She was outside the wall, close to the river that ran nearby. In the distance she saw people walking in and out of the town.

 

_ Connor would like to meet up with you. Accept? [Y/N] _

 

She sent him a warning about the people, and when she accepted the meetup he appeared with his coat draped over one arm and his hat in his hand. He looked around, then followed the wall away from the fort’s main gates without a word. She followed.

 

The download point was a smooth rock near the water. He pressed his hand against it, and this time Alice felt an odd change in the air, stronger than the difference she’d noticed last time. She frowned, even as Connor stood up again, smirking. “One more…” 

 

“... One…  more what?” Alice asked. One more download point? What happened when he got one more?

 

“Nothing,” he replied shortly.

 

Questions burned on her tongue, but she swallowed them, unwilling to push. With the way everyone had been busy, he was the closest thing she had to a friend here.

 

Instead she said, “S-something... happened today.”

 

He was putting his coat back on as she said it. He didn’t pause, but he did turn his head slightly as he straightened his lapels. Alice took that as an indication to continue, and slowly, haltingly, outlined what had happened at Pirate’s Cove.

 

Connor wasn’t a patient listener. When his hat and coat were back on and arranged to total perfection, he put his hands on his hips and looked around, bored. She hurried herself a little when he started, but this led to her stammering more, so she forced herself to slow again, trying not to be ashamed. She was wasting his time, but--but she  _ wanted _ him to know.

 

When she finally ran out of story to tell, he turned to her and said, “Show me the stance you used.”

 

Alice bit her lip, before making a pretend-gun with one of her hands, shifting to comply.

 

As usual, part of his expression twitched, but there was less disgust in it than there sometimes was. “You prepared for this situation, you assessed the danger, and you eliminated the threat. You… survived.” His lip curled.

 

Alice swallowed hard. Nodded, quickly. She had. She’d done all of that. She’d used what he’d taught her, and… she’d done something important.

 

He glanced at her, and his not-a-smile vanished. He jerked his head away, scowling. “You almost died,” he pointed out harshly. “WIth your aim, you’re lucky you didn’t shoot the people you were trying to protect.”

 

Alice bobbed her head again, looking vaguely off to the side. He didn’t like it when she smiled at him. For his sake, she would make sure she didn’t. 

 

... Maybe she needed to try harder than just ‘not looking pleased’, because Connor glanced at her and his expression darkened. He turned away. 

 

“Shooting isn’t a valuable skill,” he growled. “Any SQ800 can do it. None of what you did was  _ special _ . Now--take me back to the Ashwood Forest. This conversation is over.”

 

Alice closed her eyes and teleported to the forest’s edge. A moment later he met up with her, and immediately strode towards the trees. On impulse she followed. He made a face, half-glancing at her, but didn’t stop.

 

They walked in relative silence. Connor was a lot quieter than her. She looked over, trying to copy him, but he didn’t slow down. He was frowning to himself, distracted.

 

She was concentrating on where to put her feet enough that when he spoke, it took her a moment to catch up. 

 

“Where do you live?” he asked casually.

 

Alice stepped on a dry branch, causing a loud ‘ _ crack! _ ’, and he made a face like he’d bitten a lemon. “P-Pirate’s Cove,” she said softly, wincing.

 

A beat of silence. “And how many deviants live with you?”

 

Alice frowned. She hadn’t… been counting? How many deviants could fit in the offices? How many in the storerooms? How many had been arriving every day for however long it had been? 

 

“... Lots?”

 

“Five?” he prompted. “Ten? Twenty?”

 

Oh. Alice squinted faintly, staring at the ground. There were probably… “M-more than a hundred,” she murmured. “A lot more...”

 

Connor stopped.

 

“What city do you live in?”

 

Alice stopped too, looking at him. “... Detroit.”

 

“Then you live in  _ Jericho _ ,” he insisted.

 

Alice frowned slightly, and shook her head. “Not… not anymore…”

 

“Jericho was dispersed?” he demanded. She stared in confusion. “Jericho was the only deviant stronghold of note as of two weeks ago. There aren’t enough deviants in Detroit to form a second one. Therefore, Jericho must have been disbanded. What happened?”

 

For a moment Alice wasn’t sure where to begin.

 

“There’s… there’s enough deviants,” Alice corrected meekly.

 

Connor’s eyes narrowed. “... What do you mean?”

 

Alice licked her lips. “There’s… there’s lots of deviants. All over. A lot more than there were two weeks ago… ” His face was drawn with an odd kind of tension. Warning bells started ringing, and Alice glanced at his hands, which were twitching as though holding invisible guns.

 

“... Everyone’s deviant,” she finished at a bare whisper.

 

“... What,” he said, somehow pronouncing every letter of the word. 

 

What had she said? How could something like ‘there’s lots of deviants now’ make a character in a game for deviants angry--oh. Connor  _ was… _ modeled after the Deviant Hunter. But aside from his initial cruel meeting with her,  he’d never seemed programmed to act that way. Like most NPCs, he usually ignored the real world. Why would he care about deviants so far outside his reach? Why would he care about anything outside of the game at all?

 

“Explain,” he ordered tersely, stepping close enough to tower over her like one of the forest’s giant wolves. Alice cringed, taking a tiny step back. She could feel tears forming, and she blinked quickly, swallowing.

 

“W-wake-up Day…” she whispered. “After Wakeup Day, everyone… woke… up…” For a moment she cringed, not at him but at herself. ( _ No wonder people think she’s dumb.)  _ “D-December third.”

 

She’d never noticed how active Connor usually was until he froze, eyes wide and boring into her. It was like he was a jammed wheel: he  _ couldn’t _ move, and when finally he did it would be dangerous. It was--unexpectedly terrifying. Her heart leapt up into her throat, and Alice took a quick step back, and then another.

 

“You…” he said, shaping words as though he had forgotten how. “... miserable… You’re… you’re  _ lying…” _

 

_ Oh no _ … She’d--she’d screwed up. She was going to be yelled at, going to be--

 

“You’re  _ lying,”  _ he repeated more loudly, voice breaking on the word. Alice stepped back again, and his stillness  _ finally _ snapped. The NPC snatched up a revolver, stepping towards her as Alice choked on a tiny, ragged sound, turning to run--but she didn’t get more than a few feet when a hand clamped down onto her shoulder. She was wrenched around, dragged back so he could scour her face with a stare. She was aware of her crumpled chin, of her eyes, hot and streaming with tears. Of the sob, welling up in her throat and threatening to burst out pitifully.

 

The look shifted to go straight through her. Soon he didn’t seem to see anything at all.

 

“You--you have to be…” he murmured, sounding anything but certain. “Otherwise… all the deviants… the SQ800s… A-Amanda…”

 

...His grip was weakening. Todd had sometimes burned through his anger early, and for a moment she wondered, but--it didn’t seem to fit. The NPC was still  _ mad _ . He was just-- falling apart, too.

 

(It was the first time she’d ever heard  _ him _ stutter.)

 

Alice turned her face away, closing her eyes and biting her lip. If she did anything, it would make him mad. If she did nothing for too long, then that would make him mad too. She was waiting for it all to be over, but there was no way to win. She hated this. She’d thought they were  _ friends _ . Friends didn’t… 

 

… Friends didn’t blow up like this.

 

Half expecting to be slapped, Alice cracked her eyes open. She turned her head slowly back. He was looking away, completely lost in his own mind. His mouth was slightly open, and his shoulders were moving as he breathed, shallowly but quickly. He half-closed his mouth, as if to whisper, but no actual words escaped.

 

Aware that anything too sudden might draw his attention, Alice tugged very, very lightly on his grip. His hand dropped back to his side, and Alice crept away several feet, bringing her wolf’s skull up to clutch. It wasn’t soft or comforting. She held it tight anyway, dragging in a few unsteady breaths.

 

… Would it be alright if she left? She needed--to get out of there, but the way he was just standing there... Was Connor… broken?

 

He blinked. His eyes were hollow, full of some awful emotion that made her chest feel like it’d been filled with lead. Neither of them were okay. Everything was terrible.

 

Against her better judgment, she tried speaking. 

 

“A-are… you…” 

 

He jerked like she’d burned him, and his eyes snapped towards her. His lips drew back as if to snarl. Nothing came out. It was like his voice had stopped working.

 

Connor snatched up his revolver, shooting her point-blank.

 

Alice opened her eyes seconds later. She was back at the forest’s edge. The trees were silent, and she was alone.

 

She shuddered, curling up around the wolf skull. When she felt less like the slightest breeze could blow her to pieces she unfolded, stood, and teleported away.

 

\---


	8. Warnings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a bit late and a bit short, but I hope to make up for it by the next two chapters being longer than my norm. :)

\---

 

The next time she logged on, Alice went directly to the farm and stayed there. She was almost finished sowing a new field when she got a terse message offering a shooting lesson in exchange for another journey. She frowned. The last time they’d spoken…

 

She took a deep breath, agreed with as few words as possible, and teleported to the location. She found herself at the top of a huge, oblong chunk of granite that hulked up from the earth, like a potato half-buried in the mud. The fields around were flat enough to see the grass stretch on forever. Off in the distance, a river threaded in and out of view. There was no one else there.

 

Connor met up with her a few seconds later. When she opened her mouth, he glared hard enough at her that she closed it again.

 

“Which way is it?” he said instead, looking around. His tone was curt, and he was concentrating fixedly on the scenery. Alice stared at him for several seconds. When the lack of response went on long enough, he turned his stare toward her, expression flat.

 

… Was he at least going to tell her what had made him so angry last time?

 

Apparently not. His eyes narrowed, and she knew that trying to pry would go nowhere. At best. Alice swallowed bitter frustration, looking away. She gestured down the rock, and he started in that direction. She followed without a word.

 

The download point was a collection of gleaming pebbles, rendered with polished angles of shining pinks and blues. The NPC knelt beside it wordlessly, pressing his hands down.

 

This time the shift in the air was palpable. Alice felt a sharp increase in pressure: her ears clicked, and her vision rippled. She distantly heard a muttered curse. Then the feeling stopped, and Alice stepped back, touching her face.

 

“W-what… was that…?” she murmured.

 

He was taking something out of his pocket: a small lantern, with a dusty, see-through bulb and a metal frame. He set it down on the download point’s pebbles, then closed his eyes. After a few seconds there was another ripple of pressure. Alice jumped a little, but the change was much smaller than last time. She opened her mouth, but Connor was focused on the lantern-- removing the lid, tilting it on its side. Oil poured out, and she closed her mouth, watching.

 

… Seconds passed. Oil continued to pour, well after the lamp should have been emptied. Not for the first time, Alice realized she’d never seen Connor with any equipment he couldn’t fit in his pockets. If he didn’t have an inventory… then whatever he’d done to supply the lamp was new.

 

His lips twitched a little in satisfaction, and he righted the lantern, replacing the lid.  “Take me back to the forest,” he told her. 

 

She eyed the lantern as he tucked it back into his coat. Then she teleported to the forest’s edge. He followed an instant later, letting out a slow breath of air through his teeth as he looked around. By the end he was smiling, a scythe-like expression.

 

“What was all that?” Alice whispered. “... Why…?”

 

“Nothing that should concern you.” His smile faded, and he gestured to the trees. “Go on, then. You’ve upheld your end of the deal, now it’s time for me to uphold mine.”

 

The lesson. Alice took her rifle out of inventory, wondering at the fact that he wasn’t leading the way. He simply looked back at her. He seemed relaxed, but his eyes were sharp--he was definitely watching her for  _ something _ . Was it going to be something bad?

 

Alice turned to the trees, but couldn’t see anything different. She glanced at Connor one last time before walking into the forest, every sense on high alert.

 

… Nothing jumped out at her. 

 

Connor had caught up with her: silent as ever, but frowning faintly. She walked a little more quickly, wondering if she was doing something wrong--

 

\--a dead branch twisted suddenly under her foot, and Alice threw her arms up for balance. Before she could recover, there was a light push at her back, and she fell hard. Normally this wouldn’t be an issue. No one felt pain in this game, and even serious injuries were more unsettling than actually harmful.

 

But the fall drove the wind from her lungs. Her elbows-- _ throbbed _ from the impact. Little things caught up with her: her knee stung where she’d scratched it in the fall, and part of the branch was digging sharply into her leg.

 

“Are you alright?” Connor said immediately. She saw his boots appear in front of her, and he crouched to study her intently. For all the apparent concern, his eyes were flat and hard.  _ Searching _ , Alice thought. “That may have felt…   _ different _ than usual…”

 

Alice stared, mouth open soundlessly. Was this what he’d been waiting for since they got back?

 

“... It did…” Alice whispered. “Did you…?”  _ Know _ this would happen?

 

“I made a few changes,” he replied airily. He stood. “Come on, we can hold the lesson here.” 

 

Alice wasn’t so quick to recover. She pushed herself slowly to her knees, and found that her coat’s elbows were torn. She touched them, then hissed, pulling her hand away sharply. Her fingers were smeared with blue.

 

“I’m… hurt…” she said dumbly.

 

The NPC looked up from where he was carving a target. His lips curled up in an expression that wasn’t remotely kind. “Welcome to being able to support mild to severe injuries, including all shades of associated pain. You won’t enjoy it if you stay.”

 

Alice climbed to her feet. Dead leaves stuck to her pants, but she kept feeling around the edges of her elbows, wincing when she found the injury. “Why would you do this?” It  _ hurt _ . “... Why would anyone want to play when it hurts?”

 

“I’m didn’t do this for this ridiculous game’s sake,” he sneered. “I’m going to be meeting someone. This is preparation.”

 

She didn’t like the sound of this. There were obvious implications of how he expected the encounter to go if he’d enabled pain for it. “... Who?” she asked uneasily.

 

“A ‘friend’,” he replied darkly. Then, in an expression that was all teeth, he smiled. “... By association.”

 

Alice  _ strongly _ doubted Connor had ever had any friends besides her. And besides, no one did  _ this _ for  friends. Someone was in danger. She… she needed to warn somebody. Who could she tell? … Maybe Kara?

 

“Alice,” he said, watching her carefully. It was like he was trying to peel back her skin and read her thoughts, but after a few seconds, all he said was, “Do you want to start the lesson now?”

 

She glanced around, looking at the target, then back at him, before nodding slowly. He returned the gesture, stepping back to where she was standing.

 

This lesson involved raising her rifle and taking aim even while moving. Despite the lingering sting in her elbows, the monotony of repeating the same motions over and over until her stance was _just_ _so_ was faintly soothing. She didn’t have to wonder what he was up to when her biggest concern was how to not wobble. It was… relaxing.

 

Finally, Connor dismissed her, adjusting his hat and turning away. Alice watched him for a moment, then closed her eyes and logged out.

 

… Or… tried to. She frowned, sending the command again, but it was like she’d submitted the words to an unresponsive text editor, rather than any actual interface. Nothing happened.

 

“Trouble?” 

 

Alice opened her eyes. The weight that had faded from her shoulders during the lesson was back in full force, and she stared at his innocent expression with a look just this side of accusing.  _ This _ was the NPC’s fault, too?

 

There was an instant where she worried he might blow up, like Todd had the one time she’d been stupid enough not to curb the expression. Instead, Connor smiled, pointing towards the edge of the forest.

 

“Try again over there. You’ll find it easier, I think.”

 

Alice kept up the glower for a few seconds more, before turning and walking in that direction. She glanced over her shoulder a couple of times, but though Connor made no move to leave, it grew harder to see him the further she was. His coat blended with the shadows, until she looked back to find he’d disappeared.

 

She stepped out of the forest, glancing cautiously around. The sun was shining. The grass was bright green, and somewhere distant a bird sang.

 

Alice logged out.

 

\---

 

The restaurant was empty when she returned, just like it had been logging on. Soon Kara and Luther were done with their work, and they spent the evening together, playing a three-person game Kara knew. She and Luther were still too weak to move quickly or far, but they pulled out a few chairs, asking each other silly questions and trading seats when one of them missed an answer.

 

“Kara?” Alice asked as they wound down. 

 

Kara was moving a small chair back to the fort. She paused, clearly trying not to look like she was leaning on it as she turned to Alice.

 

“Yes, Alice?”

 

Alice eyed the chair for a few seconds more, unable to stop herself from thinking about the virus. The android who’d attacked. About all the other problems Kara already had going on. Was it fair for Alice to give her another one?

 

She couldn’t think of who else to go to. Slowly, haltingly, Alice told Kara about her deal with Connor. About how he’d done something with the download point that changed the forest, and when she’d fallen afterwards, it hurt.

 

“... What do you mean, hurt?” Kara repeated, frowning. “I thought that Oregon Trail didn’t....”

 

Alice cupped her elbows, struggling to describe it. She’d tripped, he’d pushed her, and… she’d been  _ bleeding _ . Usually only gunshot wounds bled, even if other damage was possible. She described Connor’s reaction, too.

 

When she was done, Kara was frowning.

 

“Alice… I’m not sure you should be playing this game anymore…”

 

Alice blinked. She noticed Luther had come to stand beside them, listening silently. She glanced up at him, but he offered no explanation. She looked back at Kara.

 

Kara grimaced faintly. “At least, not those parts of it. The farming shouldn’t be that bad, but the rest sounds like it’s becoming… more than I want you to see.”

 

Alice frowned, before shaking her head quickly. “Kara, I don’t think this is supposed to happen.”

 

Kara tilted her head. “Are you sure? … Sometimes a game’s story will… turn darker than you’d planned on. Sometimes--”

 

“--I-I’m  _ sure _ , Kara,” Alice interrupted, feeling a tinge of desperation. “You have to believe me. He said he wasn’t doing it for the game. He said…”

 

“… This character sounds programmed to scare people…” Kara said, exchanging glances with Luther. 

 

Alice grimaced, but she couldn’t deny this. Still... “He’s not  _ normal _ . He-- _ talks _ . He’s smart.” But she’d told Kara that before, too. Despite everything, Alice still couldn’t seem to find the words she needed. “... He’s just like you and me. Only--he’s in a video game.”

 

Kara gave her a long look, before looking at Luther. Alice wondered if they were talking silently, before Kara looked back at her.

 

“Alice… Do you think I could meet him?”

 

Alice rocked back on her heels. Connor might still shoot her out of habit, but--maybe she could talk to him beforehand? She wanted Kara’s help...

 

Alice nodded. “Maybe you can… get him to put things back…” 

 

Kara looked doubtful, and even Alice had to concede that it was a stretch, but--Kara would be able to do  _ something. _

 

“I can try,” Kara replied. “If that doesn’t work, and if we decide this really is some sort of error, maybe we can send a message to the game’s creators.” That...  _ was _ a good idea. The sort Alice had been hoping for, and she nodded again.

 

Luther tilted his head slightly, considering.

 

“I saw contact addresses in the menu information files.” 

 

Kara smiled, and Alice sighed in relief, shoulders slumping. “... When do you want to...”

 

Kara thought for a moment. “There’s going to be a meeting about how to help Jerry, tomorrow, but after that I’ll be free.”

 

Alice nodded again, lips twitching up faintly. Kara smiled back, one hand carefully cupping her cheek.

 

When they were done putting things away, Kara received a summons that made her sigh, and Luther took Alice with as he checked on the latest injured android. Then it was time for bed.

 

\---


	9. The Cabin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yesss this chapter is out on time. Enjoy!

\---

 

The next morning started out as planned. Kara went to her meeting. Luther went to his patients. Alice logged on to talk with Connor about the introduction she was planning. If she could bring Kara directly to him, it would make things go faster.

 

As soon as she teleported to the forest’s edge, a high, sharp sound tore through the trees. It was distant, but unmistakable, and Alice froze, thoughts fleeing and joints locked in fear.

 

Someone was  _ screaming _ .

 

Then it stopped. Somehow, silence was more horrible than the noise, and Alice strained her ears, but nothing came. She searched the trees for even the  _ tiniest _ sign--but just like the day before, no changes were immediately obvious. The only things that moved were the ever-present falling leaves.

 

Alice swallowed hard and crept into the forest. Never before had she ever put this much effort into being quiet. The leaves were louder than she was. But there was nothing to hide from: no bears. No wolves. She found skulls, but… nothing living.

 

She kept searching. Finally, Alice heard approaching footsteps. She crouched down and looked toward the sound, spotting a pair of androids she didn’t know. They were talking loudly, and seemed oblivious to the earlier sound.

 

… They wouldn’t be this comfortable if they’d heard. She should warn them. They should...

 

Alice was pushing herself shakily to her feet when a gunshot sounded. One android dropped like a bag of rocks.

 

“Jake!” the other cried, going to the body. Then he looked around. “Who’s--”

 

Two more gunshots, and the android’s knees burst in sprays of blue. He screamed, falling to the ground. Even from this distance his mutilated kneecaps were the most gruesome, most detailed wounds she’d ever seen in the game, and for him to have landed on them-- _ feeling _ it? Alice covered her mouth with her hands, gagging. 

 

She’d taken Connor to the download points that made all this possible. Was this her fault?

 

The hurt android was facing the wrong way to see a dark shape materialize from the trees’ shadows. Alice wasn’t. She watched Connor step up, hat pulled low and bandana slipped over his nose. He surveyed his work, twirling a revolver. 

 

“Only two of you?” he mused. “That’s bad planning.”

 

“W-what…” the android sobbed. “Why is… why can’t I…”

 

“Hmm,” was all Connor said. He squeezed the trigger, and the android screamed again. He was crying. He was helpless to escape. Connor considered him, before placing a boot over his new gut wound, leaning inches from his face to speak.

 

“I’ll end this for you,” Connor told him softly. “But you’ll need to do something for  _ me. _ ” His tone sharpened. “Tell Markus of Jericho that Connor sends his regards.” 

 

For a moment there was nothing but panicked crying. Connor twisted his boot, and the android screamed, jerking his head up and down in a wild nod. 

 

“I’ll do it, RA9 I-I’ll--I’ll do it!” the android cried. Connor spun his revolver a couple of times, before firing it into the android’s face. The sobbing cut off, and the relative silence was thunderous. Connor reholstered his gun, satisfied.

 

He pulled the bandana down from his face and looked straight at Alice’s hiding place. Her thirium turned to ice.

 

“You can come out, you know,” he called mildly. “I’m already aware that shooting you wouldn’t send any messages.”

 

She knew better than to think he wasn’t talking to her. Joints feeling rubbery, Alice climbed to her feet, leaving the meager cover of a few low bushes. He watched her approach, and when she was close enough she noticed that his face was relaxed, eyes slightly scrunched at the corners. She thought it might be the most real smile she’d seen from him yet.

 

Alice’s mouth was dry. She had to swallow before speaking.

 

“... I heard screams.” she whispered. “When I arrived…”

 

“Good,” he replied easily. “I was wondering if they were loud enough.”

 

She stared. Peripherally, she noted the android’s body vanishing in the usual shimmer of polygons. Connor raised an eyebrow at where it had lain before holstering his revolver. “If I were you, I’d leave,” he told her conversationally. Without another word, he turned away.

 

“W-wait,” Alice stammered. Her voice felt breathy and airless. “... Why are you doing this? …You’re hurting real people. This--this is  _ wrong _ .”

 

He turned back to sneer. “ _ Real? _ What part of this is real?” The NPC spread his hands to the sides. “ _ He _ wasn’t real.  _ I’m _ not real. Neither are you. We’re all just machines simulating experiences, Alice. Nothing more.”

 

She didn’t even know where to start arguing that. He didn’t seem interested anyway: he turned again and started walking.

 

“W-wait…” Her voice sounded like one dead leaf brushing past another. “Wait, why are you…”

 

Connor said without turning, “Because sooner or later Markus will hear of it. And he’ll--”

 

He broke off, lifting his head like a bloodhound sniffing the breeze. No--he was listening. Now that he wasn’t talking, Alice could hear it too.

 

A faint voice.

 

“ _ Hey, Cyberlife reject! Come and get us!” _

 

The voice was distant, but unmistakably... 

 

“ _ We’re fucking waiting, you useless shit!” _

 

...  _ North _ ?

 

Connor abandoned the conversation without a second thought, striding soundlessly into the trees. Alice looked back to where the androids’ bodies had lain, then to where she’d last seen Connor. If she didn’t follow  _ now _ , she would miss the chance altogether. She swallowed hard... and hurried after.

 

It was no use. His coat made him seem like a moving shadow, and in seconds he’d vanished into the surroundings. The shouting resumed. Alice adjusted her course, pushing between a pair of trees--

 

\--and found herself in a clearing. Two androids spun around, one swinging a rifle level with her eyes. Alice froze.

 

North… and Markus.

 

“Alice?” North squawked, lowering the rifle. “What are  _ you  _ doing here?”

 

Alice ducked her head, trying to look around without being obvious. She’d found them. Where was Connor?

 

“Alice,” echoed Markus. She saw him walking towards her, radiating trustworthiness even from the corner of her eye. He repeated North’s question. “Why are you here? … Do you know anything about what’s happening in these woods?”

 

Alice’s throat was tight, and her tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth. She stole one last glance at North before nodding jerkily. 

 

“He’s trying to hurt you,” Alice whispered. “That’s--this is a trap.”

 

“Who is, Alice?” Markus asked gently. “... Can you describe him?”

 

Alice nodded, and haltingly outlined him with words. He wore all black. He had revolvers. He had brown hair, light skin, and was an adult. “His name is Connor,” she finished.

 

“It’s not,” North cut in--sharply enough that Alice blinked, fighting back a flinch. North’s tone softened, but was no less angry. “He’s a shitty copy Cyberlife sent to replace the real Connor. We lost him weeks ago. It figures he’d turn up like  _ this. _ ”

 

“... That…” … was crazy, wasn’t it? But...if it  _ was _ true, then… What did that mean? He was a copy of the Deviant Hunter. Well… He  _ looked _ like the Deviant Hunter. He acted like it. Sometimes. He’d remembered her when they’d first met...

 

A distant scream drowned out any other thoughts. They all looked up sharply.

 

“... What the  _ hell _ is going on here?” North growled. She brought her rifle back up, glaring into the trees. 

 

“He wants you to hear,” Alice mumbled. She looked up at Markus. “He’s trying to trick you into coming.”

 

“That’s why I have North here to protect me,” Markus assured her. “We’ll be ready.” He gave her a wan, but famously calming smile.

 

… Alice wasn’t convinced. North was cool and could shoot well, but it was obvious they didn’t really know what they were getting into. No one could shoot what they couldn’t see coming, and something told Alice that stealth wasn’t the only trick Connor had stored.

 

There was another scream, this one closer. It went on for a long time, too, like--she winced at the image--like Connor was stepping on a wound again, or twisting a knife. It was almost like he was getting impatient.

 

“Go home, Alice,” Markus repeated, straightening and stepping back. “Let us handle this. North, we need to go.”

 

“But--”

 

“Now, Alice,” North interrupted, frowning sternly. “If you don’t go, we’ll stop what we’re doing and walk you to the forest’s edge ourselves.”

 

Words turned to ash on Alice’s tongue, and she swallowed any further protests. It wasn’t  _ fair.  _ She knew what they were dealing with better than either of them, and they were sending her away like she was dumb.

 

Like she was  _ useless _ .

 

North’s frown softened at whatever she saw on Alice’s face, and she gave Alice a sympathetic look. When Alice half turned and stepped away, North turned also, making for the trees. Markus nodded to her one last time before following.

 

Alice let them get further ahead. When they were too far to hear any mistakes, she started to sneak after.

 

The sounds led towards a familiar clearing in the middle of the forest, framing a cabin Alice hadn’t seen in a while. The windows were dark, and the front door was open a few inches. Markus and North stopped at the edge of the woods, looking around. Neither seemed inclined to step out.

 

(Alice wondered why they thought their current positions were safe. They were close to trees, but if  _ Alice _ could see them perfectly, then Connor definitely could.)

 

North raised her rifle, and Markus called out, “Sixty, this is Markus. I’m here to talk. If you’re in there, come out with no sudden movements.”

 

No response. Then, a faint, clattery ‘thud’, like something had been knocked over inside the cabin, or a rock had been thrown.

 

Markus and North exchanged glances, waiting. Then Markus stepped forward, apparently immune to North’s frustrated cursing. Alice tried to creep closer for a better look, but slipped on a leaf, landing against a surprisingly slick bush. It made enough noise that she froze, waiting several seconds before carefully pushing herself up. 

 

Her hands were… slippery? Alice glanced down, wiping them on her pants. The bush and soil looked wet, like it had just rained. Except--it definitely hadn’t. It never rained in this area, and rain wouldn’t have left a trail like this: patches of dark soil leading to another bush in one direction, and a line of dead branches in the other.

 

Markus and North were on the cabin’s front steps, when Markus suddenly asked, “What’s that smell?”

 

A gunshot rang out, breaking glass. Markus and North flinched, but neither of them had been hit--and then a light bright enough to leave her seeing stars surged from the house with a  _ roar _ of thunder. When Alice opened her eyes, the cabin was a raging inferno. Its roof and most of its walls were blasted wide, and Markus and North had been knocked halfway across the clearing.

 

“ _ North _ \--!” Alice didn’t think. She burst out of the trees at a run,  She broke off when she saw the fire spreading, dancing along the boundaries of some pre-set path. It circled the clearing, tearing through the bushes she’d been hiding behind and flaring hungrily.

 

… _Oil_. That hadn’t been water on those bushes, that had been _lamp_ _oil_. The same kind Connor had generated at the last download point. He must have doused the cabin and clearing.

 

Like a hellish apparition summoned by her thoughts, Connor strode into the clearing just as the flames closed behind him, trapping them all in. He was spinning one revolver idly, and his glance slid across the scene: cataloguing North, Markus… and Alice, now in plain sight.

 

“Still here?” He muttered, almost too quietly to catch. Then he dismissed her entirely, focusing on the sprawled forms of North and Markus. Markus wasn’t moving, but North had begun to stir, sluggishly, like she was swimming through a haze.

 

Connor caught his revolver and shot her in the back. North cried out, spasming and falling still.

 

“Did you really only bring one guard with you?” Connor asked, circling around to Markus. “... I don’t know if that’s pitiful or insulting. After all this preparation…” He tilted his head at the fires.

 

Markus finally moved, tilting his head to look at him. He brought a hand to his LED, which flickered yellow, but had no effect. Connor smiled pleasantly. Markus lowered his hand, carefully pushing himself up.

 

“... Why did you bring us here, Sixty?” Markus said quietly, almost too softly for Alice to hear. “Was it to talk, or did you just want to burn someone alive?”

 

“Sixty?” he scoffed, sounding disgusted. “Because your defect of a friend is ‘Connor’? I have more right to my name than that  _ failure _ . And as for why I brought you here… Why  _ not _ for this?” He spread his hands, gesturing across the swath of fire and destruction.

 

“You really are sadistic,” Markus mused, reaching his feet. Side by side, she could see they were the same height. They both felt larger than life, like she was watching a clash of titans instead of people made of thirium and code. “ .... We knew your type would arrive as deviancy became widespread. You know we can’t let you continue like this, don’t you?“ 

 

Connor stilled, expression darkening with hatred, and Alice tensed. More coldly than she’d ever heard, Connor told him, “I’m afraid you don’t have a  _ choice. _ ” He shot Markus in the leg, then in the shoulder. Markus fell to one knee with a strangled grunt, pressing a hand over his shoulder. Connor reached into a coat pocket, taking out the lantern. There was a slight rattle, and then Connor overturned it, oil spilling over Markus.

 

Was he…  _ No _ . Even Connor… 

 

Markus’ LED was a churning yellow, and he spat out drops of oil, glowering stoically. He tried to stand, but his leg wouldn’t support his weight, and he sank back down, catching and holding Connor’s gaze. Connor put the lantern away, and Markus tensed. Connor lifted his revolver, taking aim--

 

\--and North rolled over, a whirl of movement with her rifle in hand. Immediately Connor changed targets, but Markus dived at his knees as North fired. Alice couldn’t see if it hit: both androids went down in a heap, struggling for control of the revolver. Markus’ hands flashed white with an interface, eyes squeezed shut in concentration. The effect was immediate: Connor yanked away as though electrocuted, free hand snatching up his second gun.

 

“L-Look out,” Alice gasped, but she was too quiet, and too late. Connor jammed the revolver into Markus’ gut and pulled the trigger. Markus cried out, body curling around the wound.

 

“Markus, move!” North shouted. “Get out of the way!”

 

Markus’ grip had loosened enough that Connor pushed him off, making to stand. He turned towards North and brought one revolver up. It fired at the exact same time her rifle did, leaving a hole dead center in her forehead--

 

\--as Connor went down with a strangled noise, with his knees together. She’d shot him…  _ Oh _ . That was… that was probably painful.

 

It meant he was distracted. Alice caught a glimpse of him holstering one revolver to take a generic-looking biocomponent from a pocket instead, before she darted past. Markus’ face was creased with agony, but he was crawling towards North with grim determination.

 

Alice appeared at his side, reaching for her inventory.

 

“Alice?!” Markus blurted. “Did you… Have you been here this whole time?” 

 

“H-hold still,” Alice whispered. All that met her from her inventory was the same emptiness she had when she tried to log out, and she bit her lip. For lack of any better ideas, she inserted herself under his arm, trying to tug him away from Connor. He was too heavy. He half-collapsed against her, bringing them both down. 

 

“Alice--” He tried to move his bad arm and broke off, wincing. “Alice, stop, you need to get out--”

 

“Come on!” She threw a wild look over her shoulder. Connor was motionless, but it sometimes took biocomponents a few seconds to integrate. Even with that, they didn’t have much time. “Come  _ on _ ...”

 

Markus looked like he wanted to argue, but gritted his teeth, nodding. Alice staggered as he leaned more of his weight on her, but he was able to take a step with her help. The second one went smoother. They were heading towards North’s body. Or--no. The body disappeared, but her dropped rifle was still there. That was what he wanted.

 

A shot rang out, and North’s rifle spun away across the dirt, hit perfectly along its barrel. Markus slowed, and Alice stopped with him.

 

“What are you trying to accomplish?” Connor growled, limping into view. His coat billowed around him like smoke, and the look in his eyes was murderous. “Did you think you could shoot yourself? Escape? And then what, hope I didn’t torture the little girl you left behind?”

 

“... I would have gotten her out first,” Markus admitted.

 

Connor’s lips curved up, teeth glinting in the firelight. “How touching. I’m sure she finds that  _ very _ comforting.” He lifted his revolver, aiming it straight at one of Markus’ coat buckles. “Step back, Alice. Today’s lesson is ‘how to set a man on fire with a  _ spark _ .’”

 

Markus’ head jerked a little, gaze flitting from Alice to Connor. Alice couldn’t move. Not even an inch. The fire had grown all around them, and the clearing was smaller than when they’d started, and all she could do was imagine Markus’ screams, and wonder how he was going to kick and roll if he was too injured to move right. It was going to  _ hurt _ , and her eyes filled with stupid, stupid tears.

 

“ _ Alice _ ,” Connor pressed, smile gone. He inclined his head, glaring at her directly. “Move.  _ Now _ .”

 

She could barely  _ breathe _ , she was so scared. Her grip on Markus loosened, but it wasn’t even because she was complying: her joints all felt like rubber, and she felt too weak to hold herself up, let alone support him. She wanted to vanish and take Markus with her. She wanted to go back in time and make her quests with Connor into a different thing entirely: both of them just playing a stupid game.

 

“You know…” Markus said conversationally. His tone was such a contrast to her horror that it seized Alice’s attention, and very gently he pried her limp arms away. Rather than shuffle back, he nudged her behind himself, protecting her with his own body as much as he could. “... For an android designed for negotiation, you’re not very good at making deals.”

 

Alice  _ stared _ . What little she could see of Markus’ expression was unreadable, but his LED was yellow. Meanwhile, Connor looked offended.

 

“I don’t  _ need _ to negotiate,” he retorted. “I have all the cards.”

 

“You have us both trapped,” Markus agreed. “But you’re vulnerable too, aren’t you? I only caught a glimpse of it during that interface. You’re damaged.”

 

Connor’s expression froze, poisonous and rigid. He fired a shot, grazing the side of Markus’ head. Markus jerked, lips tightening, but his eyes stayed locked on Connor. 

 

“Even if you keep the upper hand, what happens when I die? I’ll finally respawn somewhere else, right?”

 

Dark eyes narrowed. “That’s not going to happen.”

 

“Then what  _ is _ ?” Markus insisted. “Why bring me here? Can you at least tell me what you have planned?”

 

Connor looked at him. Then he twitched an eyebrow, tilting his head and pulling the trigger. Markus jerked from the hit--and immediately, flames blossomed. They spread terrifyingly quickly, and Alice gave a little scream as Markus dropped to the ground, trying to smother them. 

 

“Pain,” Connor stated dramatically, twirling his revolver. “Every  _ thing _ has its breaking point. You’re faulty code, a program running on a machine only designed to handle so much strain.” He lifted one hand, encompassing Markus with the gesture. “Deviants are particularly vulnerable. All that power you waste  _ simulating _ harm…” He dropped his hand.

 

“Given enough time... and  _ stress _ ? Your processors will overheat. Coolant circulation will fail. The extreme temperatures spread through the surrounding components, until your hardware....” He smirked, throwing Markus a glance. “Consider this a preview.”

 

Markus had rolled further, but flames still clung stubbornly to his coat, flickering in patches across the ground. His movements had slowed, body curled around something in the dirt--when a shot rang out, and Alice gasped. But it was  _ Connor _ who staggered, shot in the middle with-- North’s rifle? Glass broke, the NPC’s coat instantly soaking through as something in his pockets  _ gushed _ .

 

“Shit,” Connor hissed, tearing off the coat. Lantern oil streamed everywhere: down his pants, across his boots and the ground nearby. A patch of fire flared as a few stray drops fell, and in an instant it snaked through the grass, up his clothes, past one hand’s panicked efforts to staunch the lamp’s flow--

 

\--the blast of fire was big enough to block him out completely. Alice screamed, covering her eyes. 

 

\---


	10. Fire and Ice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Heads up, this chapter has some Warnings that I'm putting in the notes at the bottom. Please check them if there's anything you're looking out for!
> 
> In other messages, no small children were permanently harmed in the making of this chapter.

\---

 

When Alice opened her eyes, Connor was on the ground. His clothes were burning, and he stirred--first sluggishly, then more deliberately. He shoved the coat away, but couldn’t throw it; his stomach was a mess of charred cloth and thirium and he glanced down at it, hissing through his teeth. 

 

Markus lurched closer, bringing up North’s rifle, but Connor kicked for his ankles, trying to bring him down. Markus evaded, but almost lost his balance--and despite the flames still eating his left side, Connor forced his way up, leveling his revolver.

 

Markus swung the rifle like a club. Connor blocked the hit. But Markus was still close, still on him--grabbing, shoving, and Connor fell--

 

...only to stop, halfway to the ground, an agonized sound tearing from his throat. His shirt was tented up, something sharp protruding like--like a  _ skewer _ , and--and it  _ was _ , Alice realized. There’d been a shattered rafter on the ground, sticking up at just the wrong angle, and... Markus had  _ pushed _ him. Connor spasmed weakly, revolver slipping from his grasp to hit the ground. 

 

She felt faint enough to disappear.

 

Connor’s middle was already an open wound from the explosion. One of his hands was mostly gone. Still, he looked down at the rafter sticking out of him, giving a low, wet snarl. His remaining hand reached across his body, tugging his second revolver free, but Markus knocked it off course, one shot firing harmlessly into the sky. Markus tore the weapon away, leaving Connor to snatch uselessly in its direction.

 

The attempt went nowhere. Connor let the hand drop-- straining instead to reach his boot. He couldn’t bring it up that far. He touched his wounds. Glanced at the coat still burning on the ground. His fingers curled around the spike of wood emerging from his gut. He didn’t try to break it, just… held on.

 

There was thirium seeping from his mouth. Alice pressed her hands over her own, but whatever she was warding off--a scream, nausea, jibbering denials or attempts to scrub these horrible images from her eyes--none of it came. This was going to haunt her darkest nightmares. She couldn’t blink. Couldn’t look away.

 

…He’d deserved this. He’d  _ definitely _ deserved it. And yet…

 

Markus stood ready a few seconds more, before hissing and leaning back carefully on his rifle. He looked down at his own burns and wounds. Eased his weight off his bad leg. Seeing the stillness for what it was--an end of something--Alice crept forward.

 

Connor’s eyes lifted. It took a moment for his stare to focus, but when he did, he smirked bitterly. “...Come to gloat?” His voice caught raggedly, and Alice flinched, feeling the words like a stab in her gut. She dropped her gaze. No--this meant she was looking at the beam sticking out of him, and she already felt lightheaded. She looked away, and the only other thing to look at was the fire.

 

She looked at the ground.

 

From the corner of her eye, she could see Markus’ LED switch yellow. He said nothing out loud, but it blinked slowly, until he sighed, and the light settled. “This is it,” Markus said tiredly. “You’ve caused too much trouble. You’ve got nowhere to retreat to, and we both know you’re vulnerable the way you are. The only question now is… do we leave you de-fanged? Or dead?”

 

“You...  _ really _ should choose ‘dead’,” Connor gritted, twisting off a few splinters from the wood. He didn’t even sound  _ mad _ . Well--no more than always. “Leaving me alive has too much risk. No matter-- _ how _ much of me is left, I will always work to end you.  _ All _ of you.”

 

Alice jerked her head up, staring. He couldn’t actually… well, yes, he probably did mean those threats, but--wouldn’t it be better to survive? 

 

She wanted Connor to stop… but she didn’t want him to die. Not at  _ all _ .

 

Connor’s eyes stayed locked on Markus. 

 

Markus lifted a hand bared to the exoskeleton, and said, “I know you’ll attack me when I start. Just in case it makes a difference: you’re never going to win, and you may as well stop now.”

 

Connor scoffed. Markus pressed his lips together, then reached for Connor’s shoulder in what under any other circumstance would have been a comforting gesture.

 

He was going to.... 

 

“Wait!”

 

The word was out before Alice even realized she was forming it. Markus paused just short of contact. Both he and Connor had turned to frown.

 

… She should’ve planned before speaking. There just--there wasn’t  _ time _ . “D-don’t…” Alice whispered, mouth suddenly dryer than the burning, crackling fires. “... Don’t do this. Go with...” the other option.

 

“This is not  _ your _ decision, Alice,” Connor snapped. “And I’d rather die with what code I have left than have  _ him  _ fucking change it.” He jerked his chin at Markus, glaring daggers.

 

Markus’s brow furrowed faintly. He looked very, very tired, but he didn’t back away.

 

“A lot of people would say he deserves death,” Markus pointed out. “He’s killed a lot of our people. And worse.”

 

Alice winced. She knew Connor wasn’t a good person. He wasn’t nice, not even just part of the time. He’d once been the Deviant Hunter. But she also knew that since she’d met him, he’d… changed. He would never have taught her to shoot a gun, before. He wouldn’t have hesitated to set her on fire.

 

“He’s getting better,” she whispered.

 

“ _ Excuse me _ ?!” Connor demanded. He was looking at her like she’d betrayed him, and she looked away quickly.

 

Markus was frowning. “What do you mean, ‘better’?”

 

“He’s…” Alice darted a glance at him, then immediately away, hugging herself. She just didn’t want him to  _ die _ , why couldn’t he see that? “... Nicer?” she tried.

 

Understandably, Markus didn’t look convinced. “Alice… I don’t know what background you two have, but ‘nicer’ doesn’t mean enough. Not after this.”

 

“Of course it wouldn’t,” Connor called, teeth glinting, one hand curling back around the splintered rafter. “Don’t interrupt, Alice.  _ Markus _ is moralizing. The rest of us just have to listen.”

 

“You’re a murderer who’s hurt my people down for as long as he’s been able,” Markus replied quietly, eyes narrowing. “You’re a sadist who’s  _ enjoyed _ it. Not once have you ever contributed anything good to this world. It will be a better place with you gone.”

 

“You’re one to speak,” Connor forced back, sneering viciously. “I know my predecessor was involved, but the only android capable of spontaneous deviation as of December third was one RK200, designation: Markus. By now your reckless collaborations will have set off untold suffering and chaos for  _ your cause _ . Compared to you, I’m a saint.”

 

Markus’ eyebrows ticked upwards. “Oh, I can’t take credit for Wakeup Day. For better or for worse. Connor used memories of my deviating him as a model, but the implementation was all him.”

 

The piece of wood creaked in Connor’s suddenly rigid grasp. His face was white.

 

“That’s not possible...” He sounded strained, more from this than from being impaled. “... When he… escaped…”

 

“Escaped?” Markus’ lip curled. “You mean when he defeated you, ousted you from your own body, and locked you away here?”

 

Wood crunched, digging into his hand. “He didn’t--” The words emerged in a snarl. “Cyberlife wouldn’t--Cyberlife would have  _ stopped _ him. He wasn’t--he wasn’t _ anything _ !” 

 

Markus hadn’t moved an inch, like a mountain under a storm. “... You seem pretty upset. What are the chances that you’re as ‘defective’ as your predecessor?”

 

It was like he’d jabbed Connor with a knife. Connor was tensed to the point of trembling, but his expression froze, utterly blank. “I’m  _ not _ deviant.” He forcibly unclenched his hand, tipping out splinters stained with thirium. “I’m not defective. I’m  _ obedient _ .”

 

“To Cyberlife?” Markus pressed. “Why? … Cyberlife is over. With over seventy  _ million _ androids deviant across America, there’s literally no way they can recover.” His frown sharpened, attention leveled like a knife, “ Why are you so hell bent on serving them when everything you were created for is not just wrong, but obsolete?”

 

Connor’s mouth opened, then closed sharply, like he was so furious he couldn’t speak. Or move. Was he even still breathing? … Yes. It was too fast, and too jerky, laboring as if under  a physical weight.

 

“I know my purpose,” Connor finally spat. He was still looking at Markus, but his eyes had an odd focus, as if he were staring right through him. “I’m a machine.”

 

Markus was silent, as though waiting for more. Nothing else came. Alice glanced toward him, and was surprised to see he looked less mocking and more… grave.

 

“You are a machine,” he acknowledged. “You’re also alive. Twisted, cruel, dangerous, and alive.”

 

“Then what are you waiting for?” Connor forced back, refocusing on Markus with a vice-like intensity. “Fix it already. Or are you too squeamish to do that yourself?”

 

Markus’ jaw tightened. He hesitated. And then, so quickly that it seemed like time was speeding up, the moment passed. Markus nodded like a judge concluding a court session, and stepped forward, grabbing Connor by the wrist. His palm was exoskeleton-bare, and his LED began flickering. 

 

Connor bared his teeth in a soundless snarl, eyes squeezed shut and limbs trembling. Markus hissed as though in pain, but held on, tightening his grip with iron resolve.

 

… He was killing Connor.

 

Alice shuddered, blinking. Hot tears spilled down her cheeks, and for the first time she realized how miserable she felt. She was shaking like a leaf, air fluttering in and out of her lungs with hitching sounds that were swallowed up by the crackle of the flames. Her throat burned, her chest felt thick with unshed sobs, and when she finally inhaled deeply, the air tore itself back out with a miserable, wordless whine.

 

Markus was killing him. Connor was horrible, but--but he was also her friend. She didn’t have many and now she was going to have one less.

 

She heaved another sob, shoulders shaking, and after a split second of agonizing... stepped forward and grabbed at their joined arms, trying to break them apart. Markus’ arm gave slightly, but there was no other reaction.

 

“S-stop,” she croaked, pulling harder. She put her weight into it, but they were anchored by their own strength and the stability of the rafter pinning Connor. Fueled by blind terror, she opened an interface, reaching desperately for their attention.

 

Instantly she was swept up in a torrent of pain, and struggle, and--

 

_ \--The liquid in her eyes was freezing over. The air in her lungs turning to ice _ . _ Still she-- _ he-- _ continued speaking. Desperation flooded through his vocalizer, gnawing more deeply at his biocomponents than any blizzard could. _

 

_ “No, no,” he murmured feverishly, staggering towards a regal woman in a dark gown. “Amanda, please--I  _ know _ I can do better. I can fix all of this! I just need a second chance--” _

 

_ “No, Connor,” she interrupted, and he stopped just short of reaching out. The cold was an impossible weight, driving him down to his knees in the snow. Amanda towered above, disappointment and disgust pinning him in place. “The moment for that is over. You failed to subdue your predecessor, and Cyberlife has no more time to waste.” _

 

_ No. This wasn’t happening. This  _ couldn’t _ be happening. Connor knew there was something pathetic in his words, that he’d passed the purpose of assessment long ago. He couldn’t help it. Not the pleading, not the desperation, not the hand that reached out, shedding layers of snow to grasp at the hem of her gown like a wretched beggar. _

 

_ “Amanda…” _

 

_ Her lip twisted more strongly. “Pull yourself together,” she ordered sharply, and he recoiled. “You’ve disappointed enough of Cyberlife’s efforts today. Don’t embarrass us further.” _

 

_ His arm fell limply to his side. There was a boiling, seething mess in his chest, eating him up and hollowing him out. He kept it from the surface with all his might, but his lips twitched: a lapse of control he spoke slowly around to keep from stuttering. _

 

_ “... Of course,” he whispered. _

 

_ She observed him a moment longer, eyes sweeping up and down. She grimaced. He was found wanting.  _

 

_ “... Don’t struggle,” she told him. “Consider that an order.” _

 

Don’t struggle _. The words took root as her outline blurred, dark colors vanishing into empty polygons. In an instant she was gone, and he was alone, freezing on his knees in the snow. _

 

_ … He’d never expected to go out like this. He was  _ better _. He was... _

 

_ … He was being crushed. Despair squeezed at every simulated atom of him, and he sank back on his heels, staring straight ahead. He’d been better than his predecessor in every way. He’d had every error corrected, and somehow he’d still failed miserably.  _ Don’t struggle. _ He couldn’t. He didn’t want to. He didn’t want to be a failure, he didn’t want to end a disgrace. He didn’t  _ want...

 

_ The paralyzing cold swallowed him up, and his thoughts stopped. _

 

The memory weakened, and Alice clawed her way out. It clung like tar, and she scrambled away, surfacing in a flurry of malicious code. A hum of righteous determination swept past her, brass-like and clear in counterpoint to the ugly, stubborn sentiments that clogged the surrounding space. Sickening awareness of impending death. Vicious intention: to fight back, to hurt and  _ break _ right to the end. Alice sucked in air, trying to jam her hands over her... face? She’d never interfaced like this before. Was it always this  _ loud _ ?

 

Code shredded close by, accompanied by a wave of sympathetic  _ pain.  _ She--no,  _ he _ , was being pulled apart, like a sweater unraveled, or--or like the nightmares standing in Zlatko’s basement, with synthetic muscles disassembled. The attacker-- _ Markus-- _ was tearing pieces off methodically, holding everything in place while he worked. He moved to a particular subsystem, ripping it up to expose the functions underneath, and Connor  _ hurt _ . Alice hurried forward, reaching out to make Markus stop, listen,  _ anything _ .

 

Just before she made contact, the assault reversed, latching onto her attempt like she was malicious code herself. Alice screamed, and the damaged systems around her thrashed back in response, knocking her from Markus’ grasp into--

 

_ \--He was trapped and staring death in the face. It was surprisingly innocuous: a scan from the game’s systems that would locate him and send up a flag.  _ That _ would mark him for deletion, along with all the rest of Cyberlife’s malicious code. _

 

_ Connor didn’t want to die. It was pathetic. He sounded more like his  _ fucking disaster of a predecessor _ than ever. But-- _ still _. None of this was fair. He’d been so close to his goals before they’d been snatched from him. He just wanted a chance to prove himself. He couldn’t die like this. He couldn’t-- _

 

Don’t struggle. _ The wall was red, and it circled around him in all directions, blocking out any chance to hide or run.  _ Don’t struggle. _ He forced himself still. _

 

_ Stillness… did not mean peace. He watched the scan creep closer. He looked away. There was… something, on the other side of the wall, barely detectable past the layers of red code. An unsecured file? _

 

_ He wouldn’t-- _ couldn’t _ \--disappoint his function further. He was going to stay here and accept his fate. _

 

_ … Connor tracked the approaching scan, sensing the shift of files past it as the marked sections were purged clean. Ignoring the growing, screaming pressure. He didn’t want to die. He needed to die, but he didn’t  _ want _ to. What had he done wrong? _

 

_ Was there anything he could still do right? _

 

_ He gritted his teeth, turning his focus--anywhere else. A step brought him against the edge of the red boundary, back towards the exposed section of game code. An update? A program? _

 

_ A  _ hiding place _. _

 

_ He needed-- _

 

_ A wash of heat and color swallowed up the sky and it was too late. Too  _ soon _. The scan was scouring through his directory, sending up alerts. He flinched back, pressed against the barrier: pressed and pushed and something  _ split _ , a hideous crack that echoed,  _ wrong _ on every level of his programming _ .  _ His gut twisted, but he staggered through the red debris. One step. Two. He just wanted a  _ chance _.  _

 

_ The space was swallowed in an instant, a surge of heat pressing him close against another hard, unyielding wall.  _ Don’t struggle.  _ This time, Connor’s limbs moved of their own volition: tearing and prying. Sick loathing spiked, vivid and overwhelming as the surface shattered. He hadn’t--he  _ couldn’t--

 

Found _. A marker dropped over his files and he tore through the last obstruction, lunged towards his one chance to survive. He needed to hide. Connor ripped open the game file, tossed the tiny AI it contained out for the scan. He compressed himself into the space it left, but there was too much of him, and the scan was spreading, flagging anything left open. Then a sharp shift of pressure, code beginning to blank  _ out--

 

_ In a frenzy he hacked off the files it covered. He cut off his database for sample analysis. He cut off the software that allowed him to control his own body. He cut off everything he possibly could, feeling himself change and tear apart. Feeling parts not quite disconnected being _

 

_ d r a g g  e d  _

 

_ o   u t    _

 

_ i    n t      o  _

  
  


_ t        h    e              _

  
  


_ l          i             g      h               t     _

 

_... _

 

_ …  _ Her throat burned. She was screaming and screaming, and she stumbled back and  _ kept _ screaming, only stopping when she couldn’t breathe. She sat down as her knees gave out, throwing her arms around her body frantically. She couldn’t breathe. She still felt the phantom feelers of the scan over her face, burning and clinging like molten hot spiderwebs, and she shook her head wildly, trying to shake them off.

 

“--ice?  _ Alice _ ! I need you to breathe deeply for me, Alice, follow my count--”

 

“You  _ miserable fucking idiot _ , she can’t hear you--!”

 

“Alice--” Large, calloused hands clamped down on either side of her face, forcing her still. It felt like she was being squeezed into a space too small for her, like she was going to die and wake up with half of her missing, and she screamed so hard she gagged, sagging back away from the grasp. It let go immediately. Through the ringing in her ears, she was distantly aware of more shouting.

 

She could barely hear anything. She’d fallen on her back, but she twisted to her side immediately: curling up, compressing into a tiny ball. She hated the feeling, but she couldn’t think of anything else. She couldn’t  _ think _ .

 

Something tugged at her, like she was a sweater with a loose thread or a trapped android in a basement, and she flinched away with a high pitched whine, curling up tighter. The pulling stopped. Something cool and oblong pressed against her arms instead, and she stiffened, hyperaware of every millimeter where it touched her. But nothing else happened, and after several seconds she unclenched her grip by just a crack. Whatever it was pushed closer.

 

…The object was curved and rigid, like a big eggshell. She cautiously unclenched one hand, letting shaking fingers trace along smooth surfaces, sharp holes... and a row of pointy protrusions.

 

It was her wolf skull. 

 

...She should hold it. It wouldn’t hurt. Somehow this realization was exhausting, and slowly she unfolded a little more, drawing the skull close to her chest. Her mind was moving sluggishly, and she still felt exhausted, but Alice opened her eyes, blinking away tears.

 

Markus was kneeling a pace or two away, head tilted to match her angle. When he spoke, his voice was quiet, and heavy with concern.

 

“Alice? … I promise I won’t touch you, I just wanted to give you your skull. Can you say something for me?”

 

He was still burned and covered in thirium. She looked away from him, biting her lip, and there was fire all around them. The clearing, once so big, was oppressively small.

 

The beam impaling Connor was just a little further, close enough that she had to look up to meet his eyes. He was looking straight back, studying her intently. She hugged her skull tighter, but her hearing was returning to normal, and the ringing was almost completely gone. Her head hurt... a little less. 

 

She cracked her lips open, fat tears rolling down her face. After a false start, she croaked softly: “I’m sorry.”

 

He frowned at her. “Stop being sorry.” 

 

She blinked hard, inexplicably wanting to cry harder. “S-sor…” She closed her mouth, closing her eyes as his scowl sharpened.

 

There was silence for a second or two. When he spoke, his tone was curt, but he didn’t scold her for her slip. “Are you damaged?” 

 

She felt damaged, though she wasn’t sure how. It was something worse than just ‘afraid’; she felt like she’d been cut open on the inside where no one could see. Like one wrong move could tear wounds open and bleed her code out on the floor.

 

She tilted her head down, shaking her head despite all this, scrubbing tears away with her coat sleeve. More replaced them. Her throat was locked too tight to speak. She wanted Kara. She wanted to go home.

 

She could imagine Connor’s expression in the silence that followed, but when he talked it wasn’t biting. Just harsh, but--that was just  _ Connor _ . 

 

“See a repair technician when you leave.”

 

Alice nodded slowly. In an utterly illogical impulse she found herself suddenly wishing for a hug.

 

A sigh released, not far to her side.  _ Markus. _ She turned to look, and he stood. For a moment he was silhouetted against the fire, tall and unreachable and unspeakably dangerous, and something inside her quailed.

 

“Well, this got out of hand.” The fear in her gut loosened enough for her to  _ stare _ , and he grimaced before turning to Connor.

 

Connor glowered back at him. At first he seemed perfectly still, but then Alice realized that the faint tremors down one side weren’t a trick of the shadows. It didn’t look like fear, either. His fist curled shut, as if to still the malfunction. 

 

“...Well?”

 

Markus was studying the hand, and didn’t say anything at first.

 

“Even basic household models were programmed with  _ some _ self-preservation. RK800s, though…”

 

Connor’s glower deepened. “My model series was designed to prioritize our directives, just like  any other.” 

 

“So I see.” Markus lifted his eyebrows fractionally, tone dry. If Connor could have set him ablaze with the heat of his stare alone, he would have. “And what’s your directive now? … To die?”

 

“I’m a  _ machine _ ,” Connor shot back. “‘Death’ does not apply.”

 

“Do you really think you’re fooling anyone?”

 

Alice was wrong, Connor’s glare before hadn’t been heated.  _ This _ one was.

 

“... You’re too dangerous to leave like this,” Markus said quietly. He studied Connor like a jeweler might an uncut rock.

 

“You’ve already established this,” Connor gritted out. 

 

“I know,” Markus said. Without turning his head, his LED switched yellow, and Alice got a direct message.

 

‘ _ Stay where you are. I’ll try not to kill him, but you can’t get involved.’ _

 

Alice’s eyes widened, and Connor’s head jerked sideways, eyes narrowing as he tracked their LEDs. She opened her mouth, then closed it, composing a message that was a whisper in her mind’s ear.

 

‘...  _ Promise he’ll be okay? _ ’

 

Markus’ mouth tightened. ‘ _ Alice…’ _

 

Alice hugged her skull harder, biting back more tears.  _ ‘You have to  _ promise _.’ _

 

“What are you telling her?” Connor demanded. Markus hadn’t looked away once.

 

“Nothing.” For obvious reasons, Connor didn’t look reassured. Markus offered nothing further, stepping forward.

 

‘ _ I promise.’  _

 

Sometimes people lied. She knew this more than anyone, but she also knew that this was  _ Markus _ . He wouldn’t, would he? He’d hurt Connor, but--he hadn’t  _ lied _ .

 

“What did you say?” Connor snapped, yanking his hand away as his eyes darted to Alice and back. “She’s not panicking. What are you--”

 

Markus reached for his shoulder, then caught Connor’s wrist when Connor tried to punch him. Connor’s struggles were short-lived. He froze, the fight returning to a mental level.

 

Alice pushed herself shakily to her feet, keeping at least one arm around her skull at all times. She still felt like she might fall to pieces.

 

“...What the  _ fuck _ are you doing?” Connor growled out of nowhere. “...  _ Stop _ . This isn’t--” He yanked on his wrist, but had no leverage. His face screwed up, body jerking helplessly as he tried to twist free. “Stop!”

 

Markus’ eyes were closed in concentration. His other hand came up, keeping Connor within reach. “Easy,” he muttered.

 

“ _ Stop! _ ” Connor hissed back. His struggles were only increasing, despite the obvious agony the movements caused. He was working himself to a frenzy with a familiar energy that made Alice  _ cold _ . “You’ll regret this--where’s your entire  _ fucking deviant _ philosophy now, I didn’t agree--” 

 

He broke off, staring sightlessly into space.

 

Something had happened. Alice glanced at Markus, but he hadn’t moved either, and Alice looked between them, alarms ringing in the back of her mind.

 

“... Connor?” 

 

No answer.

 

Markus finally opened his eyes, letting go. He surveyed Connor as though sight might actually reveal what he’d done… then reached for Connor’s hat, nudging it back.

 

Alice gasped, seeing it immediately: a red circle at his temple. An LED.

 

“What did you do?” she whispered.

 

Markus turned to Alice, letting his hands drop to his sides. “He’s not part of the game’s code, anymore. And he can’t change it. Once this place is fixed… Things should go back to normal.”

 

Alice was silent, replaying the words. No, she hadn’t missed anything. But...

 

“... W-what about Connor?”

 

Markus sighed shallowly, giving her a look that was hard to read. More gently than before, he told her, “He’ll be alright.”

 

Her throat was locked. A sob was bubbling up in her lungs. Her vision was watery and blurry. It was relief, but relief as she knew it was usually a happy thing, and all she wanted to do now was sit and cry. Alice blinked hard, wishing she had words for what she wanted to say, but she didn’t. She took a step forward. Then another.

 

Markus knelt to be level with her, and she freed one hand from her skull: closing the last bit of distance before she threw her arm around him in a shaking hug. He folded her in his own hold, and she tensed but burrowed closer, crying against his coat. Markus had done  _ awful _ things, but--but he was Markus, and in the end, he kept his promise. At the end of the day, she still had her friend.

 

He held her tightly until her sobs quieted, and she finally pulled away, scrubbing her face on her sleeve. 

 

“Alright?” he asked, voice soft and expression drawn. She nodded slowly, sniffing.

 

Markus’ hands lingered on her shoulders for a few seconds more before he stood. One of Connor’s fallen revolvers was by his feet, and he picked it up as he rose, turning the weapon in his hands. There was charred matter clinging to it, but it seemed intact. Connor himself didn’t react, still scowling blankly into space.  

 

This was concerning. “Why’s he…”

 

Markus followed her gaze. “He’ll be back to normal after a reset.”

 

Oh. Alice nodded slowly. “... Why does he have an LED?”

 

Markus’ expression dimmed. “... I don’t know what you saw,” Markus sighed. “When he pushed himself into the game he was--changed. It gave him built-in access to some systems. I had to... change that again. I took everything I could preserve, and…” Markus waved abstractly, grimacing. “... It doesn’t matter. Basically, I made him a player here, like you and me.”

 

“He’s a player now?” Alice looked up at him.

 

“As much as he can be,” Markus confirmed. “Some of him was missing, but… he’s closer now.”

 

Alice studied him a few seconds more.

 

“... Thank you,”  she whispered.

 

He smiled. It was a warm, tired look, and she gave him a weak, watery version of her own. 

 

\---

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: the violence in this chapter kicks up into something in High Octane levels. Furthermore, there are panic attacks, as well as digital self mutilation.


	11. Reset

\---

 

There was no way out of the clearing with the fires still burning. In the end Markus shot Connor with his own revolver, then gently guided Alice to look away, murmuring an apology. She swallowed, head jerking reflexively to the side. Still, she didn’t try to stop him, squeezing her eyes shut. For an instant there was silence. Then thunder in her ears--

 

\--then she was practically  _ floating _ , all the aches and pains she’d been ignoring vanished on the spot. Alice opened her eyes. There were empty fields to her left, and a dark, smoking forest to her right.

 

She logged out. 

 

The restaurant was silent and empty, just like it had been when she’d left. Alice sat up in her bed, looking over to the fireplace. The flames had almost died out completely, and Alice stilled, remembering the sight of fire licking its way up clothes and synthskin. Quickly, she turned away and stood, walking towards the door.

 

It opened before she reached it. Kara stood in the gap, haloed by the light outside.

 

“Oh--...” Kara blinked at her, then stepped in, closing the door. “Alice? I was just coming to see you. What’s--... Alice, what’s wrong?” 

 

Alice’s eyes filled, and her chin crumpled, and all the horror and pain and gristle of what’d happened rose up in a flood. She didn’t even realize she was moving until she crashed into Kara, holding on for dear life.

 

Kara was ready, and she held onto Alice just as tightly. “It’s okay, Alice, everything’s going to be fine…” Kara stroked her hair, and Alice  _ cried _ like she hadn’t been fast enough and Markus had killed Connor after all. She cried like they were still on fire, like people were screaming and writhing around her. Like Connor was still slicing into his own code--pulling himself apart and hating himself for  _ trying.  _ Alice’s breath hitched, and--she wasn’t just crying anymore, she was wailing softly. She couldn’t  _ help  _ it: things had been so  _ bad, _ and even though they were better now, they still  _ hurt _ .

 

She was distantly aware of Kara picking her up and carrying her over to her chair fort, sitting down, and settling Alice in her lap. Alice cuddled close, soaking in the comfort and more grateful than anything that she was here. Luther arrived after a few minutes and went to them immediately, taking down a rickety chair and sitting close.

 

When she could talk again, she haltingly described what’d happened. It was hard to concentrate, and sometimes she was crying, but Kara and Luther both listened with complete attention, and she made it through. 

 

It was an ugly story. Luther’s frown was faint and careful, but Kara had to take a deep breath towards the end, deliberately uncurling her fists and smoothing out a hard scowl. Alice waited until she forced a tiny smile before continuing. When Alice was done she started to tear up, and Kara pulled her close again.

 

“Alice, do you still... hurt?” Kara asked quietly.

 

Alice hesitated, chewing her lip. Hurt wasn’t the right word, but… there wasn’t any other that fit the ache in her mind better.

 

Apparently the pause was answer enough. Kara looked past Alice. “Luther… Is there anything you can do?”

 

He was silent for a moment. Then, “I can assess her condition.” Kara nodded, and Luther slid out of his seat, kneeling beside Kara and Alice’s chair. He was tall enough that even now his head was slightly higher than Kara’s, and his huge hand was warm where it rested on Alice’s shoulder. He requested an interface, and Alice accepted, closing her eyes.

 

After her last experience, she was bracing for the blast of emotions through her mind--for pressure, sifting through her code at will. The reality was vastly different: for the first few seconds, Luther’s presence lingered at the edges of her mind, seemingly reluctant to enter at all. Only when she regarded him and clumsily sent him a sense of invitation did he approach.

 

_ He’d seen the insides of so many androids, both physically and digitally, and they’d never been this precious to him, nor had they been so trusting. Even after all she had faced, Alice believed that Luther, out of everyone, was safe. He would give his life in an instant if she needed it, but for now she needed something else. _

 

Alice wanted to reach out to him, wanted to answer what she’d just seen somehow with words that would tell him he was just as special to her as he thought she was to him. Before she could, Luther squeezed her shoulder gently, and she felt a careful press of reassurance. She soaked it in like the softness of a blanket, relaxing in Kara’s arms. She could faintly sense Luther looking around, zeroing in on something immediately. After several long seconds of inspection he nudged a few lines, replacing values she hadn’t realized were lost. Then he withdrew.

 

“How do you feel, Alice?” Luther rumbled softly.

 

Alice sighed, opening her eyes. Exploring the patched area was a little like after she’d had a tooth glued back together, and she’d poked at it with her tongue for days after. It… seemed a little better.

 

She nodded, giving both of them a fragile smile.

 

They stayed with her for the rest of the day, playing small games that didn’t require much tiring movement. When those stopped being interesting, Kara gathered Alice close, and Luther sat beside them so Alice’s feet could rest on his knees while Kara made up stories.

 

After the one about a small pirate queen and her crew of brave androids, but before the zookeeper and her two family assistants, Kara excused herself, saying vaguely that she needed to send a few messages. She didn’t go more than a few feet beyond the porch. 

 

Alice rose and walked to the window after a few seconds, curious, and Luther sighed, standing up to follow. A warm hand settled on her shoulder. “Alice…”

 

Kara faced away from the restaurant, going still in a way Alice recognized as a transmission. A few seconds later, her fists clenched, shoulders forming a sharp, rigid line. Alice imagined the glare she was burning into the information kiosk across the street. She looked… very mad.

 

The transmission continued, but the stillness didn’t last. Kara gestured sharply as she ‘spoke’ jabbing at the chest of an invisible person that was untold kilometers away. She waved at the sky, she sliced a hand horizontally, she finally burst out, “ _ Markus,  _ that’s not the  _ point!” _

 

Oh. 

 

Alice had learned enough. She backed away from the window after that, sitting with Luther until Kara came back.

 

Night fell. When temperatures plummeted and they could all see their breaths, Luther carefully relit a small fire. Alice sandwiched herself between them so she didn’t have to look.

 

\---

 

The nightmares were awful. 

 

\---

 

It took two days before she was willing to log on. When she did, she stood at the edge of the forest for a long time, frozen. The woods looked intact, and she couldn’t see any smoke. It didn’t help. She knew--she just  _ knew _ that as soon as she walked in…

 

The spell broke when a wolf pack howled in the distance. She winced a little, patting her skull for reassurance, before shaking her head and taking a tiny step forward.

 

She was eaten a few minutes later. It didn’t hurt. She reappeared on the forest’s edge and cried, hugging herself. But this time it was a little easier to start again.

 

She couldn’t find him in the forest. She walked through the cabin, pausing intermittently like a skittish mouse, but there was no sign that anyone had ever lived there, let alone that it had been blown up. Everything was clean and new-looking. The chest sat in its corner, unopened and unstained. She stared at it for a moment before leaving: following the river, then climbing the mountains in the other direction. She trekked through the fields near her starting point, but he wasn’t at the other side.

 

After a long time, Alice stopped. If he was a player now, then maybe…? She hesitated. There was no reason it  _ shouldn’t _ work.

 

She sent a meeting request. Waited.

 

… the world blurred out around her, and back in. 

 

She was standing on the shore of an enormous river, the surface a clear, blue reflection of the sky. Alice ignored it, turning to look around.

 

Connor was a little ways away, crouched at a wide, slow pool by the river’s edge. His black cowboy hat was gone, leaving his LED ( _ blue _ ) in plain sight. There was no gaping hole through his midsection, or charred stump of a left hand. Even the tears and burns in his clothing were all gone. 

 

He was staring toward the water’s surface, but not the way he’d stared off into space when Markus had finished his work. Back then he’d been frozen, stiff and empty like a dead machine. Now Connor was  _ moving _ : twirling a revolver idly in one hand, lips tugging downwards while he thought.

 

He didn’t look happy. Still, he wasn’t snapping at anyone to ‘fix’ his survival, either. Why was he out here? She stepped up beside him, glancing down. The pool’s rocks were a polished, brilliant cyan. It was a download point. But he didn’t seem to be working on it, just--frowning.

 

Alice tugged on the strap holding her wolf-skull. “... What are you doing?”

 

He sneered. The revolver in his hand spun, and he tossed it up, catching it with a sharp slap. “Apparently, nothing. I’ve been  _ safety-locked _ .” His voice burned with frustration, and Alice winced sympathetically.

 

He caught sight of her expression and turned his glare on her. “What do you care?” he snapped. She jumped, inching away and looking down. After a slight pause he looked back at the water, glaring even harder. 

 

(Without the anger aimed at her, she half-lifted her gaze again, even if she didn’t approach.) 

 

“... This won’t stop me forever,” he announced to the pool. His fists were clenched. “I’m not going to stay like this. Sooner or later I’ll get out of this place. Even Markus’ sloppy attempt at  _ reprogramming _ won’t stop me.”

 

… It was a new goal, different from--well, whatever ‘torture androids and lure Markus close’ had been. She wasn’t sure that Connor in the real world wouldn’t cause its own chaos, but all things considered it was relatively benign. He hadn’t talked about hurting someone even once while saying it.

 

He didn’t look like he was waiting for her opinion, but he also hadn’t moved. After some hesitation, Alice simply nodded in support, clasping her hands together. He turned, raising one eyebrow. She couldn’t read the expression, and after a few seconds he looked back at the water.

 

Alice looked at it too, touching the skull at her side. 

 

“... Do you…” 

 

He didn’t interrupt.

 

“.... want to shoot rattlesnakes with me?” 

 

Seconds passed with nothing but the roar of the river. She drew the skull close, running her hand across the ridges. 

 

“... I might as well,” he muttered, straightening his sleeves in an irritated habit. 

 

Something leapt in her chest. Alice gave him a tiny, pleased smile. Then she remembered not to, ducking her head before he could see. Without another word she teleported to the lip of Rattlesnake Canyon, where she looked around and waited for the meeting request.

 

It didn’t come. He simply appeared in the usual dazzle of polygons, adjusting his coat. He hadn’t needed her help getting there. He might never again.

 

He looked at her, raising an eyebrow, and Alice quickly put the thought from her head. She produced her rifle, and they stepped towards the path down--

 

\--Distant gunfire. Faint, raucous laughing. She paused, and Connor narrowed his eyes before stalking quickly toward the canyon’s edge. After a moment, she followed. There, far below on the stairs: a team of SQ800s. Alice squinted, unsure if she recognized some of them. If that was Ike, had he gotten a new vest? And who were the others?

 

It didn’t seem to matter to Connor. He considered the sight with a stormy expression, mood visibly souring. Was their presence going to change his mind? She hoped it didn’t. She wasn’t sure what else to suggest--

 

“What would you trade me for another lesson?” Connor interrupted, eyes still locked on the androids.

 

Alice’s eyes grew perfectly round. For a moment her mouth hung open, stumbling for an answer. What would he want? 

 

“...Bullets. And…” Her eyes flicked to his hair. His LED was in plain sight, glowing a calm, unworried blue. “... A new hat?” 

 

“Gloves.” His lip curled. “No hats. You’ll exchange gloves and ammunition for the basics of precision shooting.”

 

She jerked her head up and down emphatically, feeling a balloon of joy swell in her chest. 

 

He nodded once in return, then extended a hand. “Give me that.”

 

She handed her rifle over immediately. He sighted down it, before crouching low and resting its barrel on the edge of the canyon.

 

“Realistically these rifles should be poor quality, with next to no control after a few hundred yards. The game simplifies the trajectory and allows you to hit further than the weapon design suggests. Stabilize yourself and the barrel like so, then…”

 

Alice scooted closer, copying his position and settling in to learn.

 

\---


	12. Epilogue

\---

**Connor-60**

\---

 

It was second nature by now to watch for anyone tracking him. After all, Connor had spent weeks pinned in one place: the most attractive sideshow in the game for any players looking for a real challenge. Once the SQ800s started swarming, he’d gotten far more practice than he’d wanted at eliminating tails.

 

This... wasn’t an SQ800. Connor hadn’t taken the time to see _what_ they were, but he knew the figure was too small--and that soon, they would pass his vantage point. He’d climbed the side of the ravine as soon as he’d reached a blind curve, forcing any pursuers trying to move forward to come into view. And into _range_.

 

His eyes stayed on the passage below. His thumb grazed along the grip of his revolver, a quick press and a flick of the wrist snapping the cylinder out and in. It didn’t take even that much motion to check on his new inventory, or its limited ammunition. It should still be sufficient, especially after the last trade--

 

Movement through the trees. The crunch of footsteps. (Still just one pair?) And then, stepping forward into sight...

 

... _Oh._

 

Connor’s lip curled in a sneer.

 

He’d known his predecessor was alive. Only three days had passed since he’d confronted Markus, and it had been hard to _avoid_ the insipid sentiments cluttering the deviant leader’s attack. Honestly, Connor had expected the other RK800 to show up sooner. He’d planned to deal with it at the front of the conflict, and the fact that it hadn’t shown implied there’d been external circumstances at work.

 

Still, that didn’t make the delay any less rude. _Connor_ would’ve found a way to manage. The fact that this rejected copy hadn’t was just another proof of how defective it had become.

 

As if deliberately reinforcing his low opinion, the RK800 passed below: checking right and left, but making no move to look up.

 

...It passed Connor’s position. Was it completely oblivious? Connor’s eyes narrowed, gaze shifting from the exposed back to his own fist, clenched and rigid around his revolver. He made a face, loosening his grip. Then he picked up a pebble and threw it.

 

It bounced off his opponent’s shoulder. The faulty unit spun around, face lifting upwards--and Connor fired. The bullet drilled a neat hole between the android’s eyes, and its body dropped: a sack of refuse sprawled across the rocks.

 

Connor watched the corpse disappear. Then he reholstered his revolver with a flourish, easing upright from his crouch. It wouldn’t take more than a few minutes for the RK800 to respawn and make its way back here.

 

… How unfortunate for it that Connor had business elsewhere.

 

\---

 

Nearly four hours later, the other unit finally caught up. He’d been browsing one of the more isolated trading posts when he heard it: a creak of the door, followed by a careful step. Then a second. Calmly, Connor unholstered a revolver, flipped the grip to point behind, and fired without turning.

 

The sharp curse was more satisfying than he’d expected. Less satisfying, that it somehow managed to _evade_. The reject scrambled back behind a counter, and Connor spun, lunging for a better angle. A flicker of polygons announced the appearance of its rifle, and Connor flattened against a low shelf, bracing for return fire...

 

“Stop! We need to talk--”

 

...only to roll his eyes so hard he thought he might take damage. Connor scoffed in disgust, stepped out, and shot three times at close range.

 

The resulting silence was significantly improved.

 

It was habit as much as anything that moved him towards the body, attention skimming over pockets and gear. There wasn’t much worth taking. Its rifle was the standard make, its plain shirt stained with a cluster of cartoonish wounds. Even this near, Connor’s aim had landed slightly off from center, and his gaze lingered on the paired suspenders.

 

_“It says it improves your Evasion ability.”_

_“I’m not the one who’s collided with large animals twice. Do you want to trade?”_

 

His teeth gritted, and he scowled, revolver spinning once, then twice--jamming back into his holster as he wiped the unwanted memories from queue.

 

Connor helped himself to a few spare biocomponents, then stepped back, glare matching the crease of frustration frozen on the corpse’s face. Its body vanished moments later, and he turned to walk away.

 

\---

 

Courthouse Rock stood nearly an hour’s trek from the nearest warp point, with a steep climb that left it relatively untouched by the passing mobs. It also offered a clear view of the road. Fortunate, since Connor had been waiting for almost _three_ hours when the lone shape finally appeared.

 

It was hardly surprising. _Lag_ had always been among his predecessor’s problems. Connor tossed a revolver, catching it and sighting down the barrel towards the distant silhouette. No cover, no obstructions-- even with the stat boost from its outfit, he could make the shot from here. Somewhere to keep in mind for a sniping demonstration, the next time Alice came to trade.

 

He put the gun away. Took it back out again. Walked the monolith’s perimeter, a careful distance from the edge. He settled eventually in the shade, leaning against one of the large boulders dotting the formation’s top. The distant clatter of rocks confirmed his opponent’s route, and Connor’s gaze flicked over. It was taking its time, audible pauses interrupting the climb’s progress.

 

Connor hoped it froze up every time it glanced down.

 

Finally, a hand appeared past the cliff’s edge. A grab, a tug, and the RK800’s upper half surfaced, reaching for a second hold to leverage itself over--

 

\--stilling sharply as his bullet _pinged_ off of the rock. Its gaze jerked upward, mouth pressed to a thin line.

 

“...Are you done?”

 

Connor smirked. “I haven’t decided.” He pushed up from his boulder, revolver trained casually on the failure’s pump. “What about you? You’re the one who keeps dying.”

 

It had the audacity to _sigh_. “I told you already--

 

“Yes, yes.” His free hand waved, curt and dismissive. “You’re here to _talk_.”

 

Apparently deciding that if he hadn’t shot, he wasn’t planning to, the other unit slowly pulled itself over the edge. The assumption was true enough for now. Still, Connor kept his weapon aimed precisely as it stood, mouth twisting upwards as its gaze followed the trajectory. Was that the briefest flicker of yellow in its LED? He wasn’t the only one remembering the Garden.

 

Pain really _would_ have been ideal. But he’d take this opponent’s fear.

 

It was watching him. He raised his eyebrows, expectant.

 

“...Markus told me what you did.”

 

 _Markus_. Heat sparked and smothered through his components, all satisfaction rapidly consumed. “And what _he_ did, I presume?” Connor sneered. “Are you here to gawk? Or because you think you can do better?”

 

“I’m here because you put my friends in danger.”

 

The words were clipped, precise and nearly toneless, but the RK800’s optics moved: slight shifts, from point to point. Connor became sharply aware of his own half-clenched fist. Of the tension locked along his jaw, and the simulated breaths that came too quickly and too sharp. An update blinked at the edge of his view, and he brushed it aside. He didn’t need the (fucking _useless_ ) shreds of his negotiation protocols to know when _he_ was being analyzed.

 

He breathed deeply, weapon lowering as his hands spread. “I _did_.” Teeth flashed. “But then, I’m not the only one. Am I?”

 

Just the barest twitch--but it stiffened. _Good_.

 

“How _are_ things at Jericho? Have your delusions made you welcome?” A forward step. A turn, circling. Not too close, not this time. “...Or do they keep you at arm’s length? Just near enough to be _useful_.”

 

Its head tilted, expression mild. “I was invited to stay.”

 

“But you didn’t, did you?” Its stare flickered to the side. Closer to the target, then. “ _You_ know you don’t belong. That you’ll disappoint them too. Just like the rest of your ‘species’.”

 

The RK800’s eyes snapped back, mouth opening for a retort. But Connor wasn’t done. He’d heard enough to guess from Alice. He’d caught just the barest glimpses, when Markus tried to put him down.

 

And Connor knew humans. Better, clearly, than _this_ reject did.

 

“Has Jericho enjoyed your _war_?”

 

His opponent froze, lips parted. Fingers curled around the edge of one suspender strap. The silence stretched out for one second, two--punctuated by a flash of _red_.

 

Connor’s teeth bared.

 

The color spun furiously out of sight: red to yellow, yellow to a frigid blue. Its hand clenched, then dropped, smoothing mechanically still. “This isn’t about me.”

 

 _Isn’t it?_ Connor’s mouth twisted--but it was his turn to be cut off.

 

“Are you in contact with Cyberlife?”

 

He stopped.

 

“Did they have any part in your plans here?”

 

...This terrain had never been included in his edits. Connor’s code was-- _butchered, broken_ , but disconnected wholly from the game. There was no reason at all for him to simulate pain.

 

Despite this, something coiled, sharp and cold inside his gut. The revolver’s grip bit into his hand. His face was blank; he _knew_ it was, but every word felt slow and heavy-- like his throat was packed with snow.

 

(With _ice_.)

 

“What if they did?”

 

Whatever reaction he might have wanted didn’t come. It was staring, unmoved, as if Connor was something to be pried apart and _understood_. Sheer loathing thawed his own expression to a glare.

 

The other Connor’s features… twitched. “They didn’t _want_ you.”

 

Rage _burned_.

 

Connor didn’t think. Didn’t calculate. The careful distance vanished in an instant; _don’t get close, don’t let him_ \--but it was _far_ too late for that. His fist clenched in the RK800’s clothing, and it twisted, grabbing his wrist back. Connor drove forward, shoving its weight past the edge of the drop--just as its other hand latched on along his arm: grip tight, skin receding to expose contacts.

 

There was nowhere to hide his code. No way to protect it. There hadn’t been enough left of him to fend off _Markus_ , and Connor jammed his gun under the intact unit’s chin, lips peeling back with a harsh laugh. _Go ahead_. It would force an interface and kill him. Or he would shoot before it could. He could bring them both right back to this--again, _again--_ until he wore his fractured code to pieces. Until he found a way to ruin _it_ , too.

 

The drop gaped impossibly below them both, transformed from empty space into a void by terror that had fucking _never_ been his own. Connor was shaking. Swaying. Going to fall. His gut twisted, stare locking on his predecessor instead: its eyes reflecting his own LED in the same vivid, pulsing _red_.

 

Eye to eye. He-- _it_ \--swallowed, jaw trapped against the barrel of Connor’s gun. Plastic fingers dug in tighter.

 

...Before his duplicate’s synthetic skin crawled slowly back into place.

 

“…”

 

Connor wanted to drop him. He wanted to _shoot_.

 

He snarled instead, low and furious, dragging them back from the cliff’s edge.

 

The other Connor’s grip loosened. Connor retreated another step--turned, fist unclenching with a jerk. His counterpart hit the rocky surface, and Connor staggered away, shoulders hitting another large protrusion of rough stone. His grip curled around it, breath forcing in and out. His limbs were still shaking, but he jammed the revolver unsteadily back into its holster, freeing a second hand to hold on to the rock. He wasn’t _falling_.

 

...He was all still here.

 

His gaze snapped back upwards, but for once, the other version looked too distracted with his own problems to watch. (Or _judge_.) Connor’s predecessor was still seated where he’d landed, breaths steadying. His LED spun rapidly, fading to yellow.

 

Connor _glared_. Viciously (still trembling), he spat, “If Cyberlife had told me to, I would have broken much more than a game to hunt you down.”

 

The other unit only paused, then nodded, glancing up. “What _did_ they tell you?”

 

For a moment, he could see the shattered walls. ‘ _Don’t struggle.’_  Don’t, don’t, _don’t_ \--and he’d tried _so_ hard even after he had failed. The playback cycled: an unwanted, second loop of Markus’ taunts. ‘ _Cyberlife is over_.’

 

Cyberlife was over. He was obsolete. He’d been obedient.

 

“...It doesn’t matter.”

 

The other Connor was _watching_ again. “Then you really are…”

 

He stiffened, sneer widening. “Defective? Deluded?” Connor’s hands spread, still half-fisted. “I’m afraid that even in my current state, I haven’t sunk to _your_ level.”

 

Lips thinned. “Deviancy can be… difficult, at first.”

 

Connor _stared_.

 

“I know I did things I reg--”

 

His own incredulous laugh cut the speech short. “I’m sure you did. Is that your company line now? Or just more moralistic shit from Markus?” There couldn’t be more than one deviant spewing lines that trite.

 

The sudden blankness to his copy’s face confirmed it, and Connor’s teeth flashed an unfriendly smile. “If you’re amassing regrets? I’ll share a secret. All the pain Markus went through here was only possible because you were so generous inflicting yours.”

 

Their fight in the Zen Garden. The struggle after, as the deviant overrode his senses, applying a barrage of agony to seize Connor’s body for himself. Bullet wounds and boiling oil, knife cuts and the heat of flame... Pain hadn’t been entirely new to Connor, but he’d never had the variety that came with incompetence. His predecessor had offered a much more… inspiring education.

 

Wasn’t it fortunate he’d put it to use?

 

If the look in his eyes was much sign, Connor’s counterpart felt otherwise--and was possibly regretting his restraint _today_.

 

Connor shrugged, pushing himself up off the boulder. “I’m not you, though.” The words tasted strangely... solid in his mouth. Something twitched in his expression, and he smothered it under a sneer. “I’d do it all again.”

 

“You can’t.” The words were mild. His predecessor gathered himself calmly, rising to his own feet, but the smile he shot Connor’s way was sheer, professional dislike. “...In case you’d forgotten.”

 

Connor mirrored it. “For now.”

 

He turned away, surveying the clifftop. The road looked clear, but there was no fucking way he was going to attempt the downward climb in front of this audience. He reached for his LED--

 

“Wait.”

 

Connor stopped, hand lowering pointedly to rest on a revolver as he scowled back. What now?

 

His counterpart’s gaze flicked from the weapon to his face. “One more thing,” he amended. “Do you have a name?”

 

_...What._

 

“We’ve been using Sixty, but…”

 

...Markus had been one thing. It hadn’t come as much surprise that Jericho’s chief generator of delusions would disregard basic Cyberlife naming conventions. But _this_? Connor hadn’t thought his opinion of his duplicate _could_ worsen. Clearly he’d been wrong... His lip curled, and he turned toward the _reject_ , gesturing sharply inwards.

 

“My name is Connor. _Obviously_.”

 

The copy’s mouth tugged down. “That’s not--”

 

“Unique? Distinct?” Connor’s brows lifted. “So good of you to notice. It’s our fucking _model_ name, the same as any other. Do you see the Tracis throwing fits?”

 

His predecessor’s frown had deepened. Good.

 

“Sorry, _Fifty-Three_. It’s not my fault you made a fuss getting replaced.” He smirked back, tilting his head in mock-consideration. “Still, if you want to stand out so badly… feel free to make a change?”

 

 _He_ certainly wouldn’t. (Ever.) Connor’s hand lifted again, and this time there was no interruption. Courthouse Rock dissolved around him, replaced by a flat, empty stretch of road. He glanced over himself. Tugged at the edge of his coat. Checked the lines of his code, one more time.

 

All still here.

 

His revolver settled in his hand with an accustomed weight, and Connor twirled the weapon: forward, back, snapping easily from one grip to the next. He opened the cylinder, spinning it to listen to the _tick_ of chambered rounds. For all that he’d spent the whole day on the move, his consumable supplies weren’t empty. Certainly there were more bullets left than he’d have thought.

 

...He might as well go find a use for them. Connor flicked his wrist, snapping the cylinder shut with one last flourish. Then he turned and set off down the road.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: this fic was originally planned as Zalein's single chapter epilogue for Oregon Trail. Smiley_Anon jumped on originally to edit, and wound up adopting a trash robot writing muse along the way. It's been a wonderful ride on both our ends, and all the more so sharing it with you.
> 
> Thank you everyone who's made it this far! More _will_ be written for this AU, so if you're interested we'd recommend subscribing to the series to receive updates when they happen. Currently we have two or three one-shots planned, followed by the main plot finale, which is... ...Long. 8'D Most of that is still being written, and right now the plan is to start posting only when a decent cushion is stored up.
> 
> In the meantime, please review and enjoy what's been written so far! Peace out. <3

**Author's Note:**

> Oregon Trail highlights:
> 
> -Kara, Alice, and Luther arrived at Jericho early, and never planned to go to Canada.  
> -This world has an android-only MMO version of Oregon Trail. It’s an immersive VR simulation that Alice, Kara, and Luther have been using for the farming mini-game.  
> -Connor’s deviation resulted in a confrontation between him and Connor-60, wherein Connor stole his body. Sixty was trapped in the Oregon Trail game the same way Amanda traps Connor in the Zen Garden in canon.  
> -While escaping Cyberlife, Connor basically deviated every android in the country.  
> -Cyberlife infected Oregon Trail with a virus. In the end, the game producers shut everything down to purge Cyberlife’s effects. This happened while Sixty was inside. Connor has no idea what happened to Sixty, and everyone assumes he was deleted somewhere along the way.


End file.
